If you like your blues with a touch of gospel, Anthony Gomes is a perfect fit.
 His CD “Before The Beginning ” is a mix of straight ahead gospel numbers and cheerful, breezy, ’60s and ’70s pop.
“Beautiful Goodbye” is a track which showcases his gospel influence. He has soulful vocals and has a chorus of voices behind him as as  some tender piano plays in the background.

“Golden Wings” has more of the overtly gospel lyrics as Gomes sings of seeing angels. “Before the beginning is straight ahead gospel a cappella number.
“Sinner’s Song” is a great gospel song, featuring choral vocal harmonies, some beautiful piano and a solid groove.
 A capella numbers are a highlight.  “Old Ten Wheeler is one which begins a cappella, then breaks into a smooth jazzy piano break.

“Lady Soul” combines gospel with gutsy blues. “The Blues is Good” is also big, powerful gutsy blues,which also has those addictive choral vocals behind it.

On the other hand “Let’s Fall in Love” is pure ’60s/ ’70 pop along the lines of weirder Beatles and  the Electric Light Orchestra with more of the great piano and extra vocals from Minnie Murphy.
 “Love is Everything,” is another catchy pop number which comes right out of the ’60s and ’70s.
 It is so cheerful, it will just make you grin with it’s jazz tinged groove.

 The piano powering this song is reminiscent of Steely Dan.
“Rescue Me has more catchy ’70s style piano and a pretty acoustic guitar intro.
 The highlights throughout the CD are the piano and the vocal harmonies. So if you like your blues mixed with a touch of gospel and a smattering of jazz, Anthony Gomes is right up your alley.

 CD: Before the Beginning
Artist: Anthony  Gomes
Genre: blues/ gospel/ pop

The blues is a universal language. That’s what Montreal musician Cecile Doo Kingue proves on her CD “Gris”  on which she gets a little funky and a lot bilingual.
 She plays and sings with a lot of soul and explores several influences.
 She grabs the listener from the first track “Aunt Jemima,” on which she drops a lot of F bombs, but she does so as seamlessly and beautifully as she interchanges the French and English lyrics. Though most of the CD is sung in French. It’s very cool as French language blues isn’t something you hear every day. “2 Minutes” is a sultry, toe tapping number which has French verses and an English chorus.
She is as talented guitar player as she is a singer.
 She has a great feel on her guitar, with not a note being played out of place anywhere on the CD.
“Entrer” is a slower, more spooky song. “Harmonie Du Soir,” is one of several sultry tracks where she flirts with smooth jazz music.
 The first track is an interesting mix of fast paced Earth Wind and Fire soul and R and B if it were played on the banjo as she flirts with Cajun jazz  music. “Rien a Voir”  and “La Bouteille” explore the slower side of soul music.
“Mater Ma Tique,” is  a mid tempo funky number.
While most of the CD is in French, you don’t even notice it because the music is firmly rooted in blues and R and B music,
  The title track Grishas an unstoppable, straight ahead blues rock groove. She has a smooth, beautiful, soulful voice.
“Kwedi” explores more exotic territory musically, though mixing it with a lot of soul on the vocals. Another more exotic song, “Dor” is a tenderly picked acoustic number which references flamenco music. Another nice acoustic number is “Invitation Au Voyage.”
She ends the note on a toe tapping, up beat shuffle note on “Bien Comme Ca”
CD: Gris
Artist: Cecile Doo Kingue
Genre: blues/ R and B

Al Lerman is best known at the frontman for Toronto blues icons Fathead but comes into his own with just an acoustic guitar and his beloved harp.
He had just released a CD Crowe River Blues when he was asked to record this live CD at the Acoustic Grill in Picton, so he brushed up on old Fathead tunes, wrote a few new songs and revisited blues classics.

 The live at the Acoustic Grill CD series is designed to replicate the intimate feel of a ’60s coffee house, and this one does the job well. The audience is listening intently, applauding politely at the end of each song.

 He begins the CD with an uptempo number “Close To You,” which shows just how good he is on acoustic guitar. It also shows his prowess on the harp. He shows his harp prowess again on “I Love You Baby,” which is just him on harp and doing various vocalizations as well as stomping out a rhythm.
“Miss You Like the Devil” is a highlight about Slim Harpo.
“It Hurts Me Too” is sweet and tender.

 His raspy voice belies a heart-wrenching version of “Cocaine.”
“Slippery Slope” is another highlight which sounds like it comes straight out of the Mississippi Delta.
 And rock and roll classic “Good Morning little Schoolgirl,” sounds fantastic as an acoustic song.
“Nobody Loves You When You’re Down And Out,” works beautifully as a solo acoustic  number with a mournful harp solo.
“Move On Up” is one  of many highlights.
He ends the CD with words to live by “Take  Some Time For Yourself,” on which he has a great groove and a touch of slide guitar.

Cd: Live at the Acoustic Grill
Artist: Al Lerman
Genre: Blues