Mascot Label Group round up of 2015
We have had a great year over at the Mascot Label Group.
Walter Trout made a triumphant return, Beth Hart laid herself bare on Better Than Home, Gov’t Mule released 4 albums, Warren Haynes made a rare solo outing and live releases came from The Robert Cray Band, Flying Colors and Joe Bonamassa.
Incredible debut albums were released by Stoneghost, Counting Days and Mahalia Barnes & The Soul Mates as well as exceptional albums from JJ Grey & Mofro, Robben Ford, Galactic, Sonny Landreth, Leslie West, Teramaze, Rock Candy Funk Party, Neal Schon and Joe Louis Walker.
Plus we announced the signings of Black Stone Cherry, Monster Truck, SIMO, Supersonic Blues Machine, Big Boy Bloater & The LiMiTs and 17 year old star Aaron Keylock for 2016.
Gov’t Mule
Dark Side of the Mule
Watch the video for Time and Fearless
Purchase from Amazon
“Tackling the Pink Floyd cannon with full reverence” Independent on Sunday
“A deep commitment to performance and inarguable chops” Mojo
“Brilliant and beautifully captured” 8/10 Classic Rock
Sco-Mule ft Jon Scofield
Listen to Tom Thumb
Purchase from Amazon
“Hard groovin’ funky Jam Band blues” Jazzwise
“Instantly essential” The Blues
Stoned Side of the Mule
Listen to Monkey Man
Purchase from Amazon
“They revive the Stones with such flair that you almost forget the original” Classic Rock
“Fun and energising stuff from start to finish” The Blues
Dub Side of the Mule ft Toots Hibbert
Watch Pressure Drop
Purchase from Amazon
“There’s plenty to enjoy in these dusty grooves” Classic Rock
“Essential soulful reggae” 4/5 R2 Magazine
Mahalia Barnes & The Soul Mates ft Joe Bonamassa
Ooh Yea: The Betty Davis Songbook
Watch the Album Trailer and Ya Mumma Wants Ya Back
Purchase from Amazon
“A scorcher…the tunes are extra hot” Q 4/5
“Powerful” Record Collector
“A churning, burning, fiery smoking of great material by a masterful and exciting chanteuse” Blues Matters
“One of the new breed of powerhouse singers…The album hums with attitude and, as it should, firmly belongs to Barnes…Astonishing.” R2 4/5
“The power is impressive…the kind of fizzling material you’d love to see live” The Blues
JJ Grey
Ol’ Glory
Watch the Album Trailer and Everything Is A Song
Purchase from Amazon
“Sublime” Q Magazine
“21st Century Southern masterpiece” Classic Rock
“What Prince might sound like if he decided to form a blues band” 9/10 The Blues
“One emotional gut punch after another…remarkable…a special talent that deserves a day in the sun” 4/5 Shindig
“On the rise for the last decade…the genre is theirs” 4/5 R2
“This is Southern Blues at its finest…magnificent album” 4/5 Maverick Magazine
“A Natural storyteller with a gift for delivering thoughtful and profound messages…his best yet” 4/5 Blues & Soul
“Beautiful, pristine and pure as ice…stunning” Fireworks
Beth Hart
Better Than Home
Watch the Making Of Video and Mechanical Heart
Purchase from Amazon
4/5 Daily Mail
4/5 The Blues
‘Highly accomplished” Mojo Bues Albums of the Year #4
“Vital and life-affirming” Evening Standard
“A blues-rock voice so ballsy it could pin you to the wall” 5/5 The Times
“She has the kind of belting blues-rock voice that could bring down light aircraft” Classic Rock
“Best thing she has ever done…spine-tinglingly brilliant…Incredible” Blues & Soul 5/5 – Album of the month
Robben Ford
Into the Sun
Watch the Rose of Sharon Lyric Video and the Album Trailer
Purchase from Amazon.
“A mighty thing to behold” 8/10 The Blues
“One of the best things he’s ever done” 4/5 Guitarist
“A self-contained adventure” Classic Rock
“His creative powers seem to be at their zenith right now…exquisite” Guitar & Bass
“An absolute stunning record from an equally stunning musical artist” Fireworks
Stoneghost
New Age of Old Ways
Watch the video for Faceless Ghost and Raynardine
Purchase from Amazon
“Stoneghost pull off inspired twists and turns of veterans…these brutes are destined for big things” Metal Hammer 8/1
“Stoneghost are London’s brightest heavy hopes” Metal Hamme
“Explosion of vitriolic blood, guts and brutal cries…Metal as hell” Classic Roc
“New Age of Old Ways brims with moments of exhilarating bluster and some of the most infectious riffs of the 21st century.” Guardia
“Keeps the brutally groovy spirit of Pantera alive, armed as it is with volleys of anti-tank riffs and Phil Anselmo-aping death growls” Q
“The UK may have uncovered the next big heavy metal band” 9/10 Powerplay
“If you enjoy the enjoy the sensation, musically speaking of having your face driven into hot tarmac by a roller truck, you’ll really like Stoneghost” Total Guitar
“A consistently excellent display of power” Terrorizer
Sonny Landreth
Bound by the Blues
Watch the Bound By The Blues Lyric Video
Purchase from Amazon
“Jaw-dropping” 9/10 Classic Rock – #4 Blues Album of the Year
“An undeniable tour de force” 8/10 Uncut
“Sonny Landreth is a master” Q
“A solid gold classic” 8/10 The Blues
“A fascinating mix of the intellectual and the guttural that’s a must-listen for blues fans”4/5 Guitarist
“Impossibly sophisticated” Guitar & Bass
Joe Bonamassa
Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks
Watch You Shook Me and Spoonful
Purchase from Amazon
Mojo Blues albums of the year #7
“A treat from start to finish” R2
Joe Bonamassa
Live at Radio City Music Hall
Watch I Gave Up Everything For You ‘Cept The Blues and Different Shades of Blue
Purchase from Amazon
“A Masterclass in Confident Blues Rock” Classic Rock
“An essential purchase” Powerplay
“Exhilarating” 8/10 Guitar & Bass
5/5 Blues & Soul
Neal Schon
Vortex
Listen to Lady M (Our Love Remains) and Awakening
Purchase from Amazon
“’Vortex’ is one of the best examples of the genre and one of the strongest releases of Schon’s career to date” Fireworks
“Beautifully articulate, passionate and soulful” Record Collector
“If scorching, soulful guitar is your thing, head into the Vortex” 8/10 Guitarist
Galactic
Into the Deep
Watch Into The Deep ft Macy Gray and Right On ft Ms Charm Taylor
Purchase from Amazon
“Funky and brassy” The Daily Mirror
“Fresh, vibrant and infectious energy” 4/5 Blues & Soul
“An exceptional fusion funk album to get you in the Mardi Gras spirit” 4/5 Maverick
“A cacophony of swinging New Orleans Jazz, soulful R&B and low-down dirty bluesmanship” The Blues
Rock Candy Funk Party
Groove is King
Watch Don’t Be Stingy with the SMPTE and The Making Of Video
Purchase from Amazon
“Sheer class & quality…world class” Blues & Soul 5/5
“First class from beginning to end. Sure to set pulses racing and rumps shaking” The Blues
“Undeniably great” Fireworks
The Robert Cray Band
4 Nights of 40 Years Live
Watch Bad Influence and Right Next Door
Purchase from Amazon
“Fans are treated to a career spanning set” Guitar & Bass
One of the world’s top blues acts” 8/10 Guitarist
“A guitarist of great eloquence and sensitivity and a singer of real emotional power…immaculate” R2
Warren Haynes ft Railroad Earth
Ashes & Dust
Watch Beat Down The Dust and Spots of Time
Purchase from Amazon
“A striking detour into Americana” Daily Mirror
“Something to savour” The Blues
“Intensely personal” 8/10 Guitarist
“The hardest working guitarist in showbiz…Earthy soul-searching Americana” Guitar & Bass
“Very classy….honeyed vocals that cut straight through to the soul” 4/5 Blues & Soul
Counting Days
Liberated Sounds
Watch Liberated Sounds and Die Alone
Purchase form Amazon
“This is a metal record that should make your heart swell with patriotic pride” 8/10 Metal Hammer
“Your new favourite band” Metal Hammer
“Brit Metallers unleash the beast on furious debut album…a fierce, feral metalcore lefthook” 4/5 Kerrang
“There’s heavy and then there’s ‘Liberated Sounds’. As punishing as going five rounds with Ronda Rousey, but considerably more enjoyable” 8/10 Rock Sound
“Counting Days do big, belligerent metal. They do it better than you, us and pretty much everyone out there” – Rock Sound
“Smart songwriting and performances that thrum with adrenalin and spite should ensure that Counting Days make some major waves” The Guardian
Joe Louis Walker
Everybody Wants A Piece
Listen to Everybody Wants A Piece and watch the Album Trailer
Purchase from Amazon
“Compelling” Daily Mirror
“A stunner, powered by feel and wonderfully emotive solo after solo” The Blues
“Blues aficionados should be in heaven” Powerplay
Teramaze
Her Halo
Watch Her Halo and Out of Subconscious
Purchase from Amazon
“One of the finest prog metal releases of recent years. Exceptional” Prog Magazine
“Soaring, solo-tastic Australian progressive metal” Metal Hammer
“Faultless” Fireworks
“Absolutely stunning” Powerplay 9/10
Walter Trout
Battle Scars
Watch the Please Take Me Home Lyric Video and Album Trailer
Purchase from Amazon
“Visceral, uplifting and searingly well-executed … Truly compelling” Classic Rock 9/10 – Top 50 albums of 2015
“A most wonderful and exciting return” Blues & Soul 5/5
“He’s back and playing better than ever” Guitarist 8/10
“You want authentic blues? Try this near-death-experience chronicle” The Blues 9/10
“Trout’s back to playing the honest, straight-up blues-rock he’s renowned for” Total Guitar 4/5
Flying Colors
Second Flight: Live at Z7
Watch Mask Machine and Kayla
Purchase from Amazon
‘Second Flight is a brilliant album’ Powerplay 9/10
‘Superb’ Guitarist 8/10
‘Dazzling’ Classic Rock
“A mind boggling extravaganza” Louder Than War 9/10
Leslie West
Soundcheck
Watch the Album Trailer and listen to Going Down
Purchase from Amazon
Guitarist 9/10
“The best in the business” Total Guitar
“Hard rock veteran hits some highs” Daily Mirror
“A very special talent” Sunday Express
“An absolute legend, the great-great-great granddaddy of heavy blues” Classic Rock
Coming Up in 2016
Promos available for review
SIMO
Let Love Show the Way
Out: 29 January 2016
Watch I’ll Always Be Around and Long May You Sail
Monster Truck
Sittin’ Heavy
Out: 19 February 2016
Listen to The Enforcer and Don’t Tell Me How To Live
Supersonic Blues Machine
West of Flushing, South of Frisco
Out: 26 February 2016
Listen to Running Whiskey ft Billy F Gibbons an watch the Album Trailer
Big Boy Bloater & The LiMiTs
Luxury Hobo
Out: 26 February 2016
Listen to Robot Girlfriend
Black Stone Cherry
Kentucky
Out: Announced soon
Watch the In the Studio video
Aaron Keylock
Working on debut album
The New Solo Superstar…The heart, soul and fretting fingers of a grizzled old delta Bluesman” Kerrang
“The search for your next guitar hero stops here” The Blues Magazine
“Virtuosos are 10-a-penny, but last year’s support slots with Blackberry Smoke announced a songwriter with ambitions beyond the 12 bar. Keylock could be a name to conjure with” Classic Rock Magazine, Sounds of 2015.
Watch Medicine Man
Many thanks for a great 2015 and we’ll look forward to seeing you in 2016
Merry Christmas