2 new CD releases coming June 2013! The Janeys "Get down with the blues" and Bryce Janey "Burning Flame" on Grooveyard Records
BRYCE JANEY – GAME OF LIFE 2012
There’s something about that old blanket you’ve had forever that you pull out when it gets cold…the feel of the material, that smell, the way it lays just right on you and leaves you safe and warm in its embrace, leading you to sigh, smile and say something like “they just don’t make them like this anymore.” Well, like a musical version of that blanket, there’s something very familiar, well worn and comforting that comes through when you listen to brother Bryce Janey on his latest release, Game Of Life, featuring 11 tracks of 100 proof bluesy bliss infused with his smoldering guitar and vocal stylings.
They really don’t make them like this cat anymore…an authentic and consummately accomplished Son of the Blues, playing his beat but sweet road-worn strat, soulfully telling his life stories through a smooth and sweet gravely rasp and conjuring stinging and soulful mojo out of his instrument like a voodoo priest casting spells at the crossroads in the middle of the night. The opener “Down Home Blues” sets the stage with a pulsing swamp foot groove, soaring slide work and single malt-smooth vocals, laying the blueprint for the rest of this rock-solid outing.
Bryce covers the ZZ Top classic Waitin’ For The Bus and the Allman Brothers Come And Go Blues with aplomb, actually giving the distinct impression that these versions predate the originals. That may sound like blasphemy, but one listen proves the point…Bryce truly makes them his own as he works out hard and digs in deep on each with sweat, attitude and confidence. Killer.
The set continues with the standout title track, Game Of Life, which anchors the entire disc beautifully in terms of feel, delivery and message, highlighted by a soaring “future retro” backwards guitar intro that adds spice and character and also features some very cool musical twists on this classic Janey-ized groove as the tune turns around and leads out. Flying High On Your Love seamlessly morphs a back beat shuffle verse with a Hendrixian-tinged chorus…an unexpected stylistic innovation that is wickedly cool. The closer Faithfully caps the disc perfectly with Bryce lamenting “It’s the game of life you play / I must carry on / I will sing my song / I must be strong / faithfully” interspersed with his heartfelt and emotional lead breaks throughout this wonderful piece. Ahhh…perfect.
When you need to pull out that old, familiar blanket of the sonic kind that’ll always make you feel good, throw Game Of Life on, crank it up, lay back and enjoy that good and worn-in old feeling once again. I think you’ll find that once this one’s in rotation, it’ll never come out.Jimmy Ryan (Truth Squad)
The Game of Gratification
Stretched out on a poolside lounge chair, gazing at the beautiful Lake Chapala and the surrounding mountain ranges under a clear blue sky, soaking up some eighty-five degree sun rays, is only one part of how I started each day of vacation in this quaint little town of Ajijic, down in Jalisco, Mexico. The other involved initiating a soundtrack for the day on my beloved iPod. My very first listen of Bryce Janey's Game of Life CD happened to be the first music I listened to early in the morning on my first day of vacation. I enjoyed this album so much that listening to it first thing each morning became a part of my daily routine. No doubt Janey has definitely one-upped himself again, making Game of Life his best album to date.
"Down Home Blues," the first selection, whisks the listener into the album like a steam engine rolling full speed down the tracks. A blues history lesson all wrapped up in one song, this one is powerful and authentic. What a great way to set the tone of the rest of the album. Janey gets funky on the title track, "Game of Life," dishing out some psychedelic blues Hendrix-style as he sings about the sometimes abrupt harshness of reality and the comfort of tapping into one's dreams. Wrapping up the album, "Faithfully," a soulful and emotional song about commitment, heartbreak, and hope. I found this one to be one of the most interesting songs due to the layered guitar sounds which built up to a climax at the end.
Author - Philip Smith (Blues Revue Mag) (2.12)
Blues In My Soul Reviews - 2010
--- Hard driving blues-rock in the mood of Johnny Winter, Mountain, Cream, and Hendrix, Bryce Janey's new power trio CD will stop guitar aficionados in their tracks. A mixture of original tunes and well-chosen covers, Janey shows taste and restraint -- as well as let-it-all-hang-out, over-the-top flair, ability, and expertise. For the most part, the CD is a high energy party, with Janey showing off what he's got: And what he's got is guitar chops that are not easily matched. He is equally proficient in slide guitar and straight playing, showing influences that include the Allman Brothers and Derek Trucks, but also Joe Bonamassa and Gary Moore. His singing shows maturity and experience, often bringing to mind Howlin' Wolf. But his playing is anything but old time blues -- it is progressive blues for a new era. It is the direction that old school virtuosos would go in if they were around today. Thankfully, Janey is here to stay, and his playing just gets better and better.
Steve Rosen, author (February - 2010) --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyone who's familiar with vintage tube amplifiers has heard of "NOS" (New Old Stock) parts - meaning either (1) old, but never used before, or (2) new, but manufactured using "vintage" specs. This metaphor can be applied perfectly to the absolutely fabulous "old school" approach embodied in Bryce Janey's latest release, Blues In My Soul. With his road worn Strat, using only his fingers, he proceeds to lay his soul bare within the most expressive display of touch sensitivity, tone control, wicked chops and arc-welded grooves this side of the Mississippi delta. Even a cursory listen reveals how deep this cat digs.. every track drips with a smooth, well-worn rawness and authenticity, each delving deeper, like every song is a page from a living document. Coaxing sweltering sounds through his fingers, Bryce slow cooks his mojo to strip off any unwanted impurity, leaving only the essential essence of his vintage vibe unfiltered - like a long, slow boil that makes the meat fall off the bone. I'm not kidding. To top off this complete package, layered over this intense riffage are "Gentleman Jack" smooth and strong vocals spinning tales of hard-won emotional battles fought; sometimes won, sometimes lost. Bryce truly carves a deep and wide heartland homestead in the electric blues guitar landscape with this powerful release. Dan "DJ" Johnson (bass) and Eric Douglas (drums) lay the foundation of this blues groove temple.. in all its varied permutations.. but instead of building walls, Bryce proceeds to tear them down with an incendiary display of white hot riffage that is raw and anxious, yet smooth and calm. If that seems contradictory, just listen to the stories that Bryce tells, both with his words and his music - it will all become clear The blues ARE in his soul.. it's as if you can actually hear the spirits of those late, great souls of the electric blues speaking through Bryce, passing their spiritual torch to this young man for safekeeping. A vintage vibe is everywhere, with deep reverence, respect, belief and conviction, infused with an old soul purity.. yes.. you CAN hear them speak through Janey's unique voice. Whether it's his original tunes, or his inventive reinterpretation of others (just check out Trower's "In This Place"), everything fits like an old pair of boots. How refreshing.. no pretension, just pure, deep, soulfully smoking guitar awesomeness, delivered with passion and power. Bryce Janey is the "New Old Stock" of today, a standard bearer with a direct spiritual connection to a musical place that's, for the most part, largely ignored or forgotten.. and if remembered, often marginalized by the forces of novelty. I know that these are just words. Now you must listen to the sounds that inspired these words. Get this record, and let Bryce take you back to that "old school" place where you always feel welcome. Then you'll know - it will all become clear-
Jimmy Ryan (Truth Squad) (February 2010) --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blues In My Soul is the superb sixth record by Iowa native Bryce Janey, son of legendary Billy Lee Janey (of Truth and Janey). Bryce has a ballsy swagger to his music that puts it somewhere between ZZ Top, Canned Heat and Head East. Hard Rock Southern Country Blues may be the more lengthy description. A student of old school blues, SRV and his own father has fine-tuned the guitarist into an exceptional musician. The sting of his guitar can be felt in the autobiographical "Funky Guitar Blues" where he builds a hip-shaking groove while shooting electric solo spurts into the belly of the song. His vocal growl is reminiscent of Doyle Bramhall II with shades of Molly Hatchet's Danny Joe Brown and sells the lyrics with emotional impact whether he's singing the soulful "Mean Old Town", the rough and tough "Hard Workin' Man" or Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor". The real wake up call comes with opening track, "Country Fever" where the band, including bassist Dan DJ Johnson and drummer Eric Douglas, take a heavyweight '70s boogie and beef it up with razor sharp guitar. For fans of sludge warriors, Truth and Janey, it's a thrill to have the strutting "Running Down The Road" and riff-heavy "Walking on a Live Wire" penned by father and son. Both are straight blues grinders but have that mid-western roll-licking backbeat. With thirteen tracks on the disc, it's hard to pick favorites. However, we'd suggest starting with a couple friendly rumblers like the swaying "Medicine Man" which could easily fit on an old Whitesnake record. There's also the brilliant "City Under Water" which has a laidback bass-driven groove that allows the guitar to carry it along with a thick pulsating riff. The chiseled solo runs etch into the song and polish it to a fine shine. Robin Trower's "In This Place" is not only a classic cover, but also a chance to hear Janey's voice paint a melodic canvas radiant with color. "Get You Off My Mind" and "Mission of Love" slow for impact with wickedly seductive playing and a midnight vocal that only means trouble.
Anyone who's familiar with vintage tube amplifiers has heard of "NOS" (New Old Stock) parts - meaning either (1) old, but never used before, or (2) new, but manufactured using "vintage" specs. This metaphor can be applied perfectly to the absolutely fabulous "old school" approach embodied in Bryce Janey's latest release, Blues In My Soul. With his road worn Strat, using only his fingers, he proceeds to lay his soul bare within the most expressive display of touch sensitivity, tone control, wicked chops and arc-welded grooves this side of the Mississippi delta. Even a cursory listen reveals how deep this cat digs.. every track drips with a smooth, well-worn rawness and authenticity, each delving deeper, like every song is a page from a living document. Coaxing sweltering sounds through his fingers, Bryce slow cooks his mojo to strip off any unwanted impurity, leaving only the essential essence of his vintage vibe unfiltered - like a long, slow boil that makes the meat fall off the bone. I'm not kidding. To top off this complete package, layered over this intense riffage are "Gentleman Jack" smooth and strong vocals spinning tales of hard-won emotional battles fought; sometimes won, sometimes lost. Bryce truly carves a deep and wide heartland homestead in the electric blues guitar landscape with this powerful release. Dan "DJ" Johnson (bass) and Eric Douglas (drums) lay the foundation of this blues groove temple.. in all its varied permutations.. but instead of building walls, Bryce proceeds to tear them down with an incendiary display of white hot riffage that is raw and anxious, yet smooth and calm. If that seems contradictory, just listen to the stories that Bryce tells, both with his words and his music - it will all become clear The blues ARE in his soul.. it's as if you can actually hear the spirits of those late, great souls of the electric blues speaking through Bryce, passing their spiritual torch to this young man for safekeeping. A vintage vibe is everywhere, with deep reverence, respect, belief and conviction, infused with an old soul purity.. yes.. you CAN hear them speak through Janey's unique voice. Whether it's his original tunes, or his inventive reinterpretation of others (just check out Trower's "In This Place"), everything fits like an old pair of boots. How refreshing.. no pretension, just pure, deep, soulfully smoking guitar awesomeness, delivered with passion and power. Bryce Janey is the "New Old Stock" of today, a standard bearer with a direct spiritual connection to a musical place that's, for the most part, largely ignored or forgotten.. and if remembered, often marginalized by the forces of novelty. I know that these are just words. Now you must listen to the sounds that inspired these words. Get this record, and let Bryce take you back to that "old school" place where you always feel welcome. Then you'll know - it will all become clear-
Jimmy Ryan (Truth Squad) (February 2010) --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blues In My Soul is the superb sixth record by Iowa native Bryce Janey, son of legendary Billy Lee Janey (of Truth and Janey). Bryce has a ballsy swagger to his music that puts it somewhere between ZZ Top, Canned Heat and Head East. Hard Rock Southern Country Blues may be the more lengthy description. A student of old school blues, SRV and his own father has fine-tuned the guitarist into an exceptional musician. The sting of his guitar can be felt in the autobiographical "Funky Guitar Blues" where he builds a hip-shaking groove while shooting electric solo spurts into the belly of the song. His vocal growl is reminiscent of Doyle Bramhall II with shades of Molly Hatchet's Danny Joe Brown and sells the lyrics with emotional impact whether he's singing the soulful "Mean Old Town", the rough and tough "Hard Workin' Man" or Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor". The real wake up call comes with opening track, "Country Fever" where the band, including bassist Dan DJ Johnson and drummer Eric Douglas, take a heavyweight '70s boogie and beef it up with razor sharp guitar. For fans of sludge warriors, Truth and Janey, it's a thrill to have the strutting "Running Down The Road" and riff-heavy "Walking on a Live Wire" penned by father and son. Both are straight blues grinders but have that mid-western roll-licking backbeat. With thirteen tracks on the disc, it's hard to pick favorites. However, we'd suggest starting with a couple friendly rumblers like the swaying "Medicine Man" which could easily fit on an old Whitesnake record. There's also the brilliant "City Under Water" which has a laidback bass-driven groove that allows the guitar to carry it along with a thick pulsating riff. The chiseled solo runs etch into the song and polish it to a fine shine. Robin Trower's "In This Place" is not only a classic cover, but also a chance to hear Janey's voice paint a melodic canvas radiant with color. "Get You Off My Mind" and "Mission of Love" slow for impact with wickedly seductive playing and a midnight vocal that only means trouble.
Todd K. Smith (The Cutting Edge) (March 2010) www.cuttingedgerocks.com ------------------------------
A Huge Texas Presence
Blues in My Soul, the latest release by Bryce Janey, shows true grit as it showcases his skillful songwriting, fine guitar slinging, and deep soulful vocals. There is a huge Texas blues presence on this album, akin to Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Accompanying Janey are Dan Johnson on bass and Eric Douglas on drums. Both are excellent musicians and assist in making Blues in My Soul the enjoyable listening experience that it is.
The bass line Dan Johnson provides for “Walkin’ on a Live Wire” is infectious and ominous. I could listen to this song all day long. It is my favorite track here. Janey has a talent for making his Strat sing, and the way he exhibits that talent makes this song a treat. Another great song, “Mission for Love,” with its funky trance-inducing groove is pure enjoyment.
“City Under Water” stirred up a lot of emotion as it unleashed memories of the flood of 2008, which hit Janey’s hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, very hard and left an unfathomable amount of destruction. The feeling of helplessness we all had as we saw the river rise over its banks is duly expressed as Janey sings, “The sky is falling/the ground is coming up/water at my knees/ I’m running out of luck.”
Other notable cuts include a pair of really cool cover songs, Johnny Winter’s “Medicine Man,” and Robin Trower’s spacey ballad “In This Place.” Blues in my Soul is a fine album. Pick it up and have a good listen.
Phillip Smith is a contributing writer to BluesWax(Blues Revue Online)
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Bryce Janey has an elegant way of making a record. This is very nice on the ears and it moves you right to the core. Bryce has some whiskey soaked vocals and his playing is fantastic. My favorite on the record is MEDICINE MAN which is a cover of Johnny Winter. Absolutely excellent. He pays homeage to Robin Trower on the track IN THIS PLACE. I rate this five-star and it adds depth to my music collection.
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suprise suprise!, ..February 9, 2010..
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This review is from: Blues In My Soul
Blues and blues-Rock! It doesnt matter Bryce Janey has it big time.This is the first disc I heard/picked up by him.Its his first grooveyard record cd and man its a great one.I cant quite put to words the sound here.Its very bluesy, heavy,great tone on the axe for sure.
Another thing is his vocals. It didnt hit me until the end of the cd when he covers Robin Trowers In This Place that he is a dead on ringer for James Dewar in the vocals department.However I cant say the cd sounds at all like a Trower cd, so he certainly is his own man here.I wish I could do a better job reviewing this cd because I find it so appealing to listen to over and over. If you like your blues in that hendrix style then this wont dissapoint.
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