by Sharon Gissy

Soul Of The Bayou ​once again proves that Gregg Martinez, the multi-octave vocalist with 10 records under his belt, is a seriously talented and versatile performer. Containing some covers as well as original tunes, the new album features a heartrending rendition of Johnny Adams's "I Wish I Never Loved You At All," some comedic tracks, and bluesy ballads. Martinez performs alongside many guest artists, including Charles Ventre on keys, Pat Breaux on sax, and guitarist Sonny Landreth on "That Old Wind".

Gregg Martinez grew up in the Spanish Creoles of Louisiana's Bayou Lafourche, where he developed his voice at a young age singing at local churches and bars and drawing comparisons to Sam Cooke and Luther Vandross. His vocal presence was perfectly suited to the very specific genre of swamp pop, which originated in Cajun country he hails from and combines New Orleans R & B, country, and French influence. The style was epitomized by such artists as Boogie Kings and Warren Storm.

Martinez rapidly rose to fame, as far as a contract with billionaire Donald Trump and a seven-figure recording deal, but when that bubble burst, he was content to croon the blues in his native Bayou, even being honored with performing at a funeral for Percy Sledge recently.

The national release for Martinez' new album occurs on April 29th. The tour dates appear here.

  Although Nigel Hall has played on four Grammy-nominated records-- from Jon Cleary, Ledisi, Pretty Lights, and the Tedeschi Truck Band--his first solo release, Ladies & Gentlemen…Nigel Hall soars on the strength of his soulful vocals and original compositions. Infused with groovy rhythm and blues inspired by the best sunny hits of the sixties, Hall's record should appeal to fans of Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings, The O'Jays, and other modern R & B artists.

Nigel Hall grew up musically trained in Washington, D.C. From an early age, he was playing keys, as well as sampling his father's vast record collection, which included inspirations like Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke. While refining his talents as a popular sideman over the years for such artists as the Warren Haynes Band, the Soulrebels, and Soulive, in addition to those mentioned above, Nigel Hall also focused on writing and composing this debut record with the assistance of producer Eric Krasno, who has produced a diverse array of artists, from Justin Timberlake to Norah Jones to Talib Kweli.

“I like to sing songs that reflect my being and who I am as a person,” Nigel Hall said. “Because that really touches me. When you hear a song and it makes you cry, or it makes you happy or it evokes any kind of feeling, that is music. That is what music is supposed to do. And music is the last pure thing we have left on this earth. It’s the only pure thing.”
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Nigel Hall's physical record, digital release, and CD are all available for sale, and tour dates for Nigel Hall should be available here. 

Pop Matters, ​the well-known pop culture webzine, recently released a fan-sourced video for the single "Gimme A Sign," which can be viewed
​here.

by Sharon Gissy

The legendary Blowfly, aka Clarence Reid, released his last record, 77 Rusty Trombones, on February 19th. Although this was slated to be the end of the musical entity Blowfly, the Miami singer, songwriter, and nasty rapper, it was not supposed to be the end of Clarence Reid. However, Reid tragically died of terminal cancer earlier this year, on January 17th.

Those familiar with Reid's alter ego Blowfly, the "original nasty rapper," will appreciate the X-rated parodies that appear on his final record, such as "If You Don't Blow Me By Now" and "I Still Believe My Dick Can Fly." The record is available on CD and LP here. Blowfly was a creative outlet that emerged as early as Reid's childhood, when his grandmother heard him singing some Grand Ole Opry songs with substituted dirty lyrics and declared he was "no better than a blowfly." However, in 1971, when Henry Stone heard Reid's demented take on an Otis Redding track on the piano, he saw great potential. With X-rated "party records" by artists such as Rudy Ray Moore and Redd Foxx catching on, the naughty LP The Weird World Of Blowfly caught on and became extraordinarily popular, launching a hit career.

However, when Reid wasn't playing his Blowfly character, he had a whole other musical career as a staff songwriter for Henry Stone and Steve Alaimo's TK label. After a modest start releasing straight R & B 45s under his own name, he came to Stone and Alaimo's attention after he put Betty Wright on their radar and wrote, along with Willie Clarke, her smash hit "Girls Can't Do What The Boys Do." While Reid worked for Stone and Alaimo's TK label, he wrote several hits that topped the Billboard charts, including Gwen McCrae's "Rocking Chair" and his own "Nobody But You Babe." During his work for the label, he penned songs for almost every artist they represented, including KC And The Sunshine Band. As Reid worked for the label through the 1970s, his signature style, which seemed to combine soul, funk, and Caribbean music, became known as "The Miami Sound."

Tom Bowker of Blowfly Music Inc. recently thanked those who celebrated Reid's legacy during his service, citing that "Betty Wright, Timmy Thomas and Overtown Soul Revue performed at his beautiful, over-capacity homecoming service." He also decried the Toronto Star for labeling Reid a "violent misogynist" among other things, when he was known for writing such classic female empowerment anthems as "Clean Up Woman" for Betty Wright. Finally, he spoke to a lack of recognition at the Grammys, especially since so much of the ceremony revolved around hip-hop, including the closing act of Miami rap, which would not be possible without the inspiration of Clarence Reid.

   by Sharon Gissy

Javier Escovedo first made a name for himself in the influential punk band The Zeros and in Austin, Texas's The True Believers, with his brother Alejandro. The Zeros earned such accolades as having their song "Wild Weekend" named one of the top 50 punk songs by Mojo magazine and a Lifetime Achievement award from the San Diego Music Awards. In the 1980s, the True Believers helped set the stage for the "New Sincerity" movement in Austin, Texas, with their guitar-heavy, hard-rocking and yet passionate songwriting.

Many years after these projects ended, Javier Escovedo began to resurface with his solo work. On Kicked Out Of Eden, his second solo record, Escovedo infuses the material with some of the hard-driving energy of his past work, though there are a few thoughtful down-tempo tracks. The songwriting and lyrics represent probably his most heartfelt and honest effort to date. "I'm proud of the songs and proud of making a record that's different from the last one," Escovedo said. "This is a rock n' roll record, not a pop record." 

Kicked Out Of Eden was released on CD on January 15th and on LP February 19th. The record is available for streaming here.
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