slated to be the next big thing
in the era that gave us singersongwriter icons like Springsteen, Mellencamp and Petty. But
a dispute with his label left the
musical hero from Cleveland
without the platform to reach
the record-buying masses. Commercially he was wounded but
artistically the man has never
slowed down releasing countless
albums independently and quite
prolifically since. With the help
of longtime friend, producer and
engineer Bill Szymczyk Stanley
returns with another solid effort
titled, And Then... that opens
with the raucous romp and roll
of “All Together Now” complete
with ample horns and B3 rising in the mix. This track is a feel
good anthem to kick things off.
“Radio Waves” is a more contemplative call to action to write
your own song in life and know
that what you do goes on and
on. Stanley has had his share
NewJerseyStage.com
of loss and pain in recent years
and on several tracks like “Circadian Rhythm” you can still hear
him mourning the passing of
his wife on a track that is filled
with strength and sadness. But,
there’s plenty of heart and heartland rock on “Sound Of A Train”
along with the biting commentary of “Snakes” that proves that
Michael Stanley is showing no
signs of slowing down.
Charlie Musselwhite is an
award winning electric blues
harmonica player who is also
well respected for his leadership, singing and songwriting.
Charlie came into prominence
in the 1960’s and he is still blowing strong in 2015 with his latest
album I Ain’t Lyin’. Musselwhite
declares “Good Blues Tonight”
in the snappy opening track thus
setting the bar high and then delivering on the next ten tracks.
This is traditional blues played
by a talented team of musi-
2015 - ISSUE 11
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