I don’t know much about Mississippi’s Route Number One, because I’ve never been on it. What I do know is that Eden Brent’s debut national release “Mississippi Number One,” (Yellow Dog Records) is #1 with me. Eden Brent is one of those hidden treasures of the Southland that just needed to be heard by the rest of the world. Rolling boogie woogie piano with a sweet raspy voice would be how I would describe the Eden Brent sound. Her song selections are mainly about Southern themes and will take you there when you put this disc on. The CD is dedicated to Carole Brent, Eden’s mother who wrote three of the 15 tracks. Eden didn’t just wake up one day and get a recording deal. Eden spent 16 years learning from the late blues pioneer Abie “Boogaloo” Ames. “He’ll Do The Same Thing To You,” penned by Eden herself, is a great song that reminded me a little of Billy Preston. Like this song, there are some shades of the 70’s included that sound fresh, not dated. Besides the Brent compositions, Eden also tackles some Gershwin (”The Man I Love”), Amos Milburn (”Trouble In Mind”) & the W.C. Handy classic “Careless Love.” Take a trip down to Greenville, Mississippi with Eden Brent, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the ride (YouTube Link).

Now how about some guitar. Mighty Mike Schermer has been a fixture on the Bay Area Blues scene for over 20 years. Sometimes you got to give the sideman a chance to have his own thing. Mighty Mike has been a sideman for Elvin Bishop, Bonnie Raitt, Charlie Musselwhite, Maria Muldaur, Howard Tate, Angela Strehli, Sista Monica, Shana Morrison and many more. Mighty Mike Schermer’s new self-released CD is appropriately titled “Right Hand Man Volume 1” (Fine Dog Records), The CD consists of 5 brand new previously unreleased songs with 8 live and studio tracks that include a tasty mix of blues, soul & R&B. Highlights include Howard Tate’s live version of “Part Time Lover” & the Maria Muldaur, Mike Schermer composition, “That’s What I Love About The Blues.” Sista Monica Parker takes Muscle Shoals into the new millenium with “The Truth.” “Still A Fool” is a funky number that features the triple threat vocal stylings of Angela Strehli, Marcia Ball and Lou Ann Barton. I found myself circling 12 out of the 13 tracks on this CD that made me feel like I was listening to a good jukebox mix. If variety is the spice of life, than this CD will help complete your blues collection.

Greg “Doc” Lefebre