Blues Island Reviews
Click the CD to purchase / download
The first strains of guitar on this CD put me right into my favorite blues haunt where my imagination added clinking glasses, cigarette smoke, and the muffled sound of people milling about Blues Island magnficently captures the live feel and heart of blues in a studio setting - a feat I rarely hear. Too much polish can sometimes kill the energy that is the essence of the blues to me. You won't find "predictable" here. Throughout this whole release, The Kingsnakes let their hair down without getting sloppy or self-indugent with the solo stuff. On "Abandoned in Hammond" I'd imagine Tom Waits if he's gone blues. On some cuts, I'd hear a bit of early ZZ Top, but I'm stretching. There's quite a wide range of influences, yet Blues Island is uniquely Kingsnakes throughout. Bonuses are special guest Byther Smith's guitar work, and some wonderful Hammond B-3 sound contributed by guest Jeff "Wally: Walroth. The guitar all over the CD is excellent - not overbearing or showy, but letting James Anderson's down home vocals shine through. A little sax, a little slide, great vocals, lots of soul - how can this miss? The whole CD is top notch...I could'nt find a boring spot or lull anywhere! I hardly ever hear non-live blues recordings that capture this Degree of Atmosphere. Blues Island should come with a guarantee - even non-blues listeners will love this without effort. Put this one at the top of your list this year, you won't be disappointed. (Rating:9) Betty Lenz - The BEAT Magazine - June 1998
Fan's of no-nonsense urban blues will want to check out Blues Island (MusicKing 60653), The new solo album from Byther Smith's sometime road and recording group The Chicago Kingsnakes. The set covers tough shuffles, funk, minor blues, Berry - and Billy Boy Arnold-esque rockers and a couple of acoustic numbers. Some of the most viciously strangled vibrato is on display here (this is a three- piece, so theres plenty of guitar). Smith guests. ESSENTIAL! Tom Hyslop - BLUES REVUE - October 1998
Take a voyage to "Blues Island," and you're in for a stormy ride. But in this case, that's mostly a good thing. Supplying straight-forward, gravel-rough Chicago blues with a bite, as the name implies, The Chicago Kingsnakes put a good spin on their original blues tunes. Though the group needs some polishing, there's enough gems on this CD to make it shine. James Anderson, guitar and lead vocals, Ron Berry bass and vocals, and Tim Mazzoni, drums, all are talented musicians, and it shows. Anderson's fretboard sizzles and wails, especially on "Mr. Telecaster," the opening track. Other standouts on this CD include "Black T Bird," an uptempo Motownish tune that pays tribute to man's best friends - his guitar, dog and vehcle; the title track, which is another great showcase for Anderson's guitar playing; and "All Pain No Gain," an unusual look at one man's persistent, yet vain, attempts to garner a date with a very unwilling woman. Though a few tracks - such as "Abandoned In Hammond," - lack bite, overall the group's got a solid sound and the skills needed to slither on up the ladder of success. Patrick O'Donnell - BLUES ON STAGE - July 1999
The Chicago Kingsnakes – ‘Blues Island’ (Music King Records MK 60653) Import http://chicagokingsnakes.com 10 tracks, 39 min 58 secs. **** The Chicago Kingsnakes originally formed in 1983 and are Byther Smith’s recording group and sometime road band. Check out Smith’s 1993 ‘I’m A Mad Man’ on Bullseye Blues. They have also recorded with Little Milton and The Memphis Horns. The band is James ‘Ang’ Anderson (guitar & lead vocals), Ron Berry (bass & vocals) and Tim Mazzoni (drums). These guys play Chicago style Blues with real bite. ‘Blues Island’ (their sixth release) was mastered at Performance Recording in Orland Hills, Illinois. Anderson and Berry produced it. All of the band members had a hand in writing the songs. Some are ‘Mr. Telecaster’, ‘Black T-Bird’, ‘Green Means Go’ and the semi-acoustic ‘One Turns Into Two’. Byther Smith dropped in on ‘Get Out Of Memphis’ and added some nice lead guitar. Harmonica Jack Keslin can be heard on ‘Ride On’. But the high light of this release is James Anderson’s sensational guitar playing. Brilliant. John Bates - Blues Association of South East Queensland (BASEQ) Austraila - May 2000