By Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © August 2011

 

With 15.....that's right - fifteen albums under his belt, and a slew of other impressive accomplishments listed in his bio, I'm thinking the name RB Stone should be familiar to most of you by now. Yet, I'll bet that before you just read the name you probably never heard of him. That's OK, neither had I. Having said that, as far as I'm concerned, "Lonesome Traveler's Blues" - which contains all original music - is his unofficial debut CD - the one that will take him from Ninja to notoriety .

 

On "Lonesome Traveler's Blues", Roland Bennett "RB" Stone on vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica and cajun is joined by: Glen Kuykendall on acoustic, electric and national guitars; Billy Crain on acoustic and electric guitars; Jared "Jay" Palmer on bass guitar; Spencer Strand and David Sappington on drums, and Ed Adkins on upright bass.

 

Opening the disc with a strong first impression is a track called "Mississippi Woman". It's led by rhythm as powerful as a locomotive, and supported with slammin' slide guitar, hard harpin', and gutsy, gritty vocals. I guarantee your mojo will be working with this one.

 

Things slow down some on an acoustic duet between RB and Glen. It's a song about a group of people that - although It's a shame, we all have some - "Fairweather Friends". With RB's amazing voice and Glen's expertise on the acoustic and national guitars, this could be a formidable acoustic duo.

 

Well maybe another time on that acoustic duo thing. Right now, RB and Billy got some heat to pass around as they once again team up on tandem smokin' harp and guitar leads. This time it's on a rocker called "Ain't Gonna Bring Me Down" that will have you thinkin' Elmore James.

 

Most of us had to discover or be introduced to the blues, but RB was lucky (?) enough to be "Born Into The Blues". Well that's how his mother explains it as she tells him "he comes from a long line of sad news". RB on vocals and harp and Billy on guitar are both at discs best here and once again, the rhythm is significant.

 

Here we go, down and dirty blues just the way I like it. "Find Yourself A Fool" is classic traditional blues at it's best. From the opening scorching guitar riffs - also heard throughout the song, to the heartfelt, sorrowfully and soulfully sung vocals, to the smokin' harp leads, this one just reeks of the blues. Since I needed to hear about fifteen more minutes of this four minute track, several replays were in order. Disc's best right here.

 

He may not own a Harley or a Porsche but RB is cool with that. That's because he's a "Man With A Minivan". And as the ladies even understand, you can't do on a Harley or in a Porsche the things you can do in a minivan. Well sung humorous lyrics, well blown harp and excellent harmonization with the acoustic guitars all highlight this one.

Other tracks on "Lonesome Traveler's Blues" include: "Lonesome Traveler's Blues", "The Devil's Satisfied", "Master Of The Craft" and "Don't Be Mean".

 

If you'd like to find out more about the man who's.....performed with The Marshall Tucker Band, The Charlie Daniels Band, Trisha Yearwood, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Hiroshima and others, has written songs for movies, has appeared in TV commercials, has won Billboard Magazine Songwriting Awards, has performed for President Carter.....and yes, there is more, then just go to www.rbstone.com. While there, look into getting yourself a copy of "Lonesome Traveler's Blues" and tell him how you got there in the fist place - the Blewzzman sent you.