REVIEWS

 

 

"Bring On The Blues" - Corey Stevens (Fuel 2000 Records) In his first recording since 1999, Corey Stevens is back with more hot 'n spicy blues guitar and down home vocal delivery. Stevens revisits the roots of the blues tradition on this disk, yet keeps his own flavor and focus of carrying that tradition a little further on up the road. This new CD also features the cut "Getaway," which paired Stevens up with his good friends and Fuel 2000 label mates - Canned Heat. Entertainment Weekly notes that Corey Stevens "burns like barbecue over a bed of Kingsford" - and that analogy just makes us hungry for more! Get yourself some of this real fine blues real soon.

 

 

 

CD Review
Corey Stevens
Bring On The Blues
Fuel 2000 Records #302 061 312 2
by Tom Tourville
Review date: July 2003

blues picture One of the Upper Midwest=s favorite blues artists, Corey Stevens, is back, and back in a big way with his all new Fuel 2000 release of "Bring On The Blues".

The year was 1994, when this unheard of artist hit the blues charts and the Midwest music scene with an amazing impact on the strong release of his first CD, "Blue Drops Of Rain".

Since that release, he has built a career on giving top level live shows, while delivering memorable CD releases.

"Bring On The Blues" is his first new release since 1999. It's been way too long for this most talented man.

His new label is Fuel 2000, and it appears they are a much welcomed addition to the blues music field. In addition to this release, they have just come out with the superb Canned Heat release of "Friends In A Can" (Fuel 2000 #302 061 306 2). Two top notch back to back releases.

This time around on "Bring Back The Blues", Stevens shows his more rootsier side. While there is plenty of Stevens=s bourbon drenched vocals and firey guitar work to go around, this effort is more stripped back and shows the man in his purest form.

Going back to what worked the first time around, he used old band mates Will McGregor-bass and Dave Salinas-drums on his new release. In addition, one unbelievable cut brings him together with Canned Heat along with Hammond B-3 wiz, Mike Finnigan.

The CD opens with "Open Road Blues", an up tempo blues shuffle that establishes Stevens outstanding vocal style and subtly adds in his expert guitar work.

Next up is "Hang On", a slower blues grooved based song that shows off the "New Stevens" in excellent form.

For those fans that want the full blues rock approach, Stevens hasn't forgotten you with the inclusion of the amped up "Triple Jack (Pissed)". It's classic Stevens, killer vocals, and in your face guitar chaps, that will leave the listener asking for more.

It's refreshing to hear Stevens put away the strat and strip down to the rootsiest song release he has ever done, with "My Love For You Has Died". It's right out of the Delta and shows a side of Stevens we've never seen or heard before. A welcome addition to his blues personality.

Unquestionably, the stoutest cut on this CD is Stevens's collaboration with Fuel 2000 label mates, Canned Heat. It's the last of the eleven strong cuts on this CD, "Getaway".

The instrumentation that Canned Heat adds to Corey's vocals and guitar, along with the stout B-3 work of Finnigan, makes for a memorable outing. It has the chance to put Stevens back on the charts, its that strong.

Entertainment Weekly recently stated about Stevens, "He's a performer that burns like barbecue over a bed of Kingsford". While that is true, he is also a blues artist with soul, style, and a healthy respect for what is the blues. Welcome back Corey!!

 

 

CD Review
Corey Stevens
Bring On The Blues
Fuel 2000
by Tony Engelhart
Review date: September 2003

blues picture Don't let the cowboy getup fool you. While Corey Stevens plays a style of blues that interjects a country flavor, he's a blues player first and foremost. Early on, Stevens was compared to Stevie Ray Vaughn for his Texas style fret work and rightfully so. He began his recording career as Corey Stevens and the Texas Flood which only added to the resemblance of Stevens to Stevie. However, despite the comparisons, Corey Stevens is blazing his own trail and his latest, Bring On The Blues, is a testament to this.

The classically trained guitarist pulls no punched on his forth album and Stevens debut for Fuel 2000 is in your face from track one. The heavy rockin' and guitar driven track "Lonesome Road Blues" opens the disc with a bang. While Stevie Ray was clearly a major inspiration on Corey, he is careful not to plagiarize the legendary axe man. "Triple Jack" has a 1970's Lynyrd Skynyrd "Saturday Night Special" quality whereas "My Love For You Has Died" goes back to the Delta with Stevens on acoustic dobro. Corey's riffs are sharp and clean as he takes the listener on a ride with the straight ahead shuffle "My Blues Are Turning Red".

There is no filler on Bring On The Blues as Corey Stevens experiments with many diverse genres of music and neatly ties them into his own unique style.

 

 

 

Corey Stevens - Bring on the Blues

Corey Stevens
Bring on the Blues

By Mike O'Cull

http://www.chicagogigs.com/reviews2/corey_stevens.htm

 

 

 
 
Downstate native Corey Stevens checks back in to the international blues scene with the release of his third CD Bring On The Blues (Fuel 2000). Stevens has traveled a long road from Centralia, IL to his current Hollywood home and his reputation is growing among blues fans here and abroad. He is one of the many guitarists in the post-SRV world to mimic Vaughn’s familiar ‘hat-and-a-strat’ image and rock-influenced blues sound. Stevens, however, delves more deeply into the rock side of his roots than most of the others and many of his songs have more of a southern rock feel than the typical Chicago shuffle. He is not afraid of breaking out of the 12 bar or singing a ballad and this gives him a leg up on the many others trying to forge their own identity in blues-related music.

Stevens is obviously a skilled guitarist and turns in good performances on many of the songs included here. Where he is a little lacking is in the vocal department. He is sort of a one-dimensional singer and doesn’t convey the same fire as SRV or Hendrix. He might want to consider taking a page out of the Kenny Wayne Sheppard book and act as the bandleader but delegate the vocal role to a more capable candidate. Stevens is not a terrible singer, but he has a sort of laid-back style that is more singer/songwriter than bluesman.

Other than that criticism, Bring On The Blues is pretty listenable. The guitar sounds are cool throughout and the band grooves steadily, if a bit predictably. The songs themselves are decent, although the disc lacks a definitive cut. There is no “Couldn’t Stand The Weather” or “Voodoo Chile” to leave listeners slack-jawed and wasted. Stevens is about halfway to having a distinct persona as an artist. He certainly packs the guitar skills needed to do the job. One great song and a better singer just might take him the rest of the way.

                                                                                           

  USA – COREY STEVENS “Bring on the Blues”

Fuel 2000 Records 302 061 312 2, 11 tracks, 55:19 mins.

Corey Stevens in his cowboy shirt & hat, moustache & beard, looks far more of a Nashville singer songwriter than a blues player. What in fact the guy sounds like is as much pop/rock than anything else, comparisons vary from Petty, Harrison, Clapton, Bedroom Bob, Norton Buffalo and at times he’s  laying between Z.Z. Top & Leslie West. >From what I’ve just said it may well come of no surprise to you that Corey is a versatile cooking kind of guitarist. He started off with Classical guitar which he studied heavily for four years he then got interested in rock & blues. After moving from Southern Illinois a small stop off in Florida saw him settling in California where he became a third grade school teacher. It gave him the opportunity to concentrate on song writing, which resulted later in a few years later seeing his debut album getting into the Billboard top 15. Another hit single from his second outing enabled him to gain a support slot for Paul Rodgers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Z.Z Top. He is featured on Canned Heat’s new CD “Friends in the Can”, and will be touring with them on their upcoming European tour. Talking of the Heat’s new album, I was sent it along with Corey’s seeing as it’s on the same label and I like Corey’s better.

If you are looking for mainstream pop/rock/blues Corey Stevens cooks some of the best!

Billy Hutchinson.

 

Roger Wise of Lee's Summit, MO
I love Corey Stevens!! Now its all set. This rocks! Hopefully they will announce Gravy Stromboli next!!! When Rock and Roll is defined in the history books of the future, our children's children will be reading about Corey Stevens!