Listen to the First Single and pre-order the album here: vizz.lnk.to/d0fWZb
Since his 2019 VizzTone debut, brilliant young Cincinnati-based blues pianist/singer/songwriter Ben Levin has been acclaimed as a deep blues soul with talent and spirit far beyond his years. In a review of his 2020 album, Paris-Move writer Patrick Dallongeville proclaimed, “Ben Levin no longer just embodies the next generation, he is the new boss.” Ben has garnered three Blues Music Award nominations, including Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year (2023, 2024) and has already toured the globe on his own, with blues legends, and as a member of the Nick Moss Band.
Ben Levin’s fifth VizzTone album is a Christmas present wrapped in blues: BEN LEVIN PRESENTS A HOLIDAY BLUES REVUE. For years, Levin has been inspired by classic holiday blues recordings from artists like Freddy King, Charles Brown, and Amos Milburn, among others. He recorded his first holiday-themed track in 2019 and has been building towards this album ever since.
This album features special guest artists and covers many styles of blues. As Ben puts it: “I am honored to have been able to feature so many great artists on this album, and they each contributed perfectly to these unique styles and sounds: Lil’ Ed showcases pure Chicago blues inspired by his uncle J.B. Hutto, Sonny Hill channels soul from the chitlin’ circuit, Candice Ivory highlights how to defy genres, blending blues and jazz, and Lil’ Jimmy Reed brings out the deep blues of Baton Rouge.”
LINER NOTES:
Ben Levin puts a shiny musical bow on a batch of new Yuletide treats, every song with his usual stellar accompaniment on an array of keyboards, highlighted by his rollicking piano runs on the rousing “Elf's Boogie” while his heartfelt vocal lament on the melancholy ballad “Regifted” will make a lasting impression. As always, Ben's father Aron adds some fine guitar picking to the mix.
A true student of the music with an abiding passion for its history, Ben has always been excited by the opportunity to attend classes at the College of Musical Knowledge by collaborating with veteran musicians. He kicks off his Holiday Revue with Lil' Ed Williams on vocal delivering some tough blues on “Candy Cane,” complete with Lil' Ed's razor-sharp slide guitar licks.
Ben turns in a seductive duet with the gospel-trained vocalist Candice Ivory on “Christmas Mood,” another of the party platter's eight original songs that bring new meaning to the phrase “Christmas carol”. His compelling work on the Hammond organ makes the track a special holiday treat, as does the fine fretwork from Takuto Asano, one of two tracks the guitarist is featured on.
Delving into the legacy of the legendary King Records, based in Levin's hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, he enlists the aid of Walter Cash Jr., one of the label's studio musicians, whose fine bass playing anchors five tracks. Also featured is one of the city's top jazz rhythm sections, comprised of Art Gore on drums and Jim Anderson on bass. Their subtle backing behind Ben's plaintive vocal on “It's Christmas Time” makes the cover of the Charles Brown classic a true highlight, while their free-flowing groove sets up another Levin organ workout on a joyful cover of the Vince Guaraldi instrumental, “Skating."
Everyone loves that shiny new present, and Ben certainly gives listeners a gift on “Next Christmas,” with Chitlin' Circuit veteran Sonny Hill laying down a beautifully crafted vocal turn on a love-torn Levin ballad that will leave you wanting more. “Lump Of Coal” is reprised from Levin’s Take Your Time record, a track he collaborated on with down-home Louisiana singer and guitarist Lil' Jimmy Reed.
Levin makes sure to inject humor into the proceedings on cuts like “Mrs. Claus,” a blues piano stomp with Santa at his most forgetful, and “SantaCon,” as Santa himself has the blues, surrounded by a world full of imposters, with Ben doing his best to improve Santa's spirits with some scintillating piano efforts before one final surprise ends the album.
One of the best of a new generation of blues artists, Ben Levin and his merry Blues Revue have crafted an album filled with the holiday spirit, yet sounding so good you'll be listening to it year-round, making it a true gift that keeps on giving.
— Liner notes written by Mark Thompson, Senior writer at Blues Blast Magazine, Contributing Editor at Blues Music Magazine, and reviewer for the Chicago Blues Guide.
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