‘Mystic Chiefs,’ ‘Easy Tiger’ show deep blues spirit

Let’s catch up with a couple of semi-recent albums that will interest fans of The Red Devils and Lester Butler, both in song and in spirit.

‘Easy Tiger,’ Ian Siegal Meets Johnny Mastro

(Continental Blue Heaven, 2024)

With a billing straight out of a Universal horror flick, Ian Siegal and Johnny Mastro don’t so much meet as collide in a nasty, groovy alley on “Easy Tiger.” In fact, that’s kind of how it happened, with NOLA-based Mastro and ‘cross-the-pond Siegal making plans online, and then getting together in a New Orleans studio with a down-and-dirty plan.

The songs sound built from the ground up on a chassis of in-your-face riffs. Siegal and Mastro weave in and out almost telepathically, creating an intoxicating layer cake of blues. It’s all the more impressive knowing that this record was as spontaneous as you can get.

Standout tracks include the “Oh Well”-styled “Four On The Floor,” which sets the pace for this collection of originals. Mastro leads the strutting stop-time “Miss Your Cadillac,” and his jubilant “Wineheaded” gets a crunchy run-through. The traditional Chicago blues of “No Mercy” becomes more inviting on each listen.

The album ends with the cheeky “Oedipuss,” which fuses a Sam and Dave hook with an Andre Williams-flavored chorus, Siegal and Mastro clearly having a ball.

“Easy Tiger” deserves a sequel … Son of Siegal meets Mastro?

CATCH ‘EM LIVE: Ian Siegal meets Johnny Mastro at the 2025 Moulin Blues Festival in Ospel in May

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‘Mystic Chiefs,’ Johnny Ray Jones

(Moondogg Records, 2024)

Johnny Ray Jones brings a lot of soul and love — along with a formidable backing band — to 2024’s “Mystic Chiefs.” Of the 11 cuts, five are straight from “King King.”

But this is no mere imitation game. Jones is a powerful blues belter, who brings a storyteller’s charisma to the proceedings. A Ball Jar-tight band (Junior Watson, guitar; Carl Sonny Leyland, piano; Johnny Lee Schell, rhythm guitar; Tex Nakamura, harp; John Bazz, bass; Stephen Hodges, percussion; and JR Lozano, drums) create a trusty blues bed for Jones to beg, plead and testify.

Highlights include “Trying To Get Back On My Feet,” a groovy little rocker that is made whimsical by Hodges’ impish percussion, and “Don’t Go No Further,” a Muddy Waters shuffle that drags just right, with Jones’ syrupy vocals setting the pace. Jones closes the record with a high-wire act: A cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s cataclysmic “I’ll Be Around.” Rather than attempt (and fail) to match the Chester Burnett’s tornado-siren vocals, Jones brings that song to last call. Leyland’s perfect barroom piano sways, and Jones approaches the number like a barfly dispensing loud wisdom long after the house lights have cracked on.

And how about those Red Devils cuts? “Automatic,” “Devil Woman,” “I Wish You Would,” “I’m Ready” and “No Fightin'” don’t break new ground in their arrangements, but make the case for these tunes and arrangements in the blues canon — divorced from The Red Devils chaos, these songs stand up as just solid blues. Of course, you can’t go wrong with Watson, Bazz and Hodges, who bring bonafides from The Blue Shadows, The Blasters, 13 and so many more.

FIND IT AND BUY IT: johnnyrayjones.com

Top image: Mystic Chiefs Junior Watson, left, Johnny Ray Jones, Stephen Hodges and John Bazz. Photo courtesy of johnnyrayjones.com