Bentley’s Bandstand: October 2025
Queen Esther, BLACKBIRDING. There hasn’t ever been an album quite like Queen Esther’s BLACKBIRDING. It’s an emotional study of events at Gettysburg during the Civil War, and how it turned historial times into an era that never really allowed Blacks to get past the ramifications which occurred then. Queen Esther’s absolute dedication to move into a unique time of American life hits like buckshot. Her voice is suitably strong to what her songs approach, and make the listener believe they are in the time of destruction and pain, and show how the sins of the past have not begun to be healed. The singer has assembled an outfit that approaches modern music from the lens of the distant past, and the vocals are touched by the era of the 1800s, while not sounding dated at all. No other singer has found quite a sound that touches Queen Esther’s. Her way of imparting such darkness feels like it’s coming from something that no one else has been able to share. This is an achievement beyond just history. It also time travels into a place that can make the listener reel into a lost circle of hurt, and not know how they really got there. It will be a performance when played live that feels like it could easily be on Broadway as well as a rock theatre. There really hasn’t been anything to compare to right now. Instead, it offers thrills which could be coming soon. It’s all there.
Robert Finley, HALLELUJAH! DON’T LET THE DEVIL FOOL YA! Sometimes it is just absolutely mandatory that everything goes off the rail. It’s the only way to get past the brain and all the way deep into the soul. Singer and full-time spiritual guru Robert Finley takes the world on a planetary trip on his new HALLELUJAH! album, like very few living humans on the planet can do these days. The Bernice, Louisiana native takes full-tilt advantage of the chance to show the universe what he is capable of on songs like “Holy Ghost Party,” “On the Battlefield,” “I Am a Witness” and others. The man’s voice is a wonder of strength, something that gets inside the bones and spreads warmth through the body like a warmed-up joystick. There really aren’t many other artists like Finley these days, walking the tightrope of spirituality and gris-gris power. Producer Dan Auerbach knows exactly how to open the eyes and ears of all who come in contact with the album. Fueled by the kind of musicians that are just waiting to throw open the door of musical love, this is a disc that hasn’t been heard in far too long. and by adding the help of Finley’s daughter Christy Johnson, it’s a sure-thing savior affair that runs through all the songs like a glory party set free. This is music that no doubt helped save lives in the South in the last century, showing the entire country what those imbued with the Holy Spirit could achieve. And the very best news of all is that Robert Finley is still on the path to achieve the same sonic miracles. It’s all there.
Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, STILL BLOOMING. When it’s time to turn up the jazzanova grooves, naturally the name of actor Jeff Goldblum comes up. Who else that’s at home on the big silver screen can take on songs by Thelonious Monk, Plas Johnson, Sonny Clark, and other songwriting’s elite. Or turn around and enlist contemporary singers to take to the recording booth like Ariana Grande, Scarlett Johanssen and more to make Goldblum’s swinging and sublime–often at the same time–album such a joy. It goes without saying that all the musicians on the date are through the roof great. This is music that would have floored audiences from the 1920s right up to now. And with each song it feels like the choices turn into magical accomplishments. This is no actor’s night out. Instead it’s a 100% knockout accomplishment of modern musicians playing jazz at the very highest level. No wonder Goldblum is smiling on the inset photograph. He likely knows what surprising magic he’s snagged all through the songs. As for the signoff selection, Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” Goldblum takes the reign of one of jazz’s very best classics, and shows just how much the man’s name on the album cover loves jazz. It is felt in every note he hits and every emotion he shares. This is an album for any time or circumstance, and hopefully something that Jeff Goldblum will continue chasing. He’s got the feel in his grooves. Mildred Snitzer rules.
Johnnie Johnson, I’M JUST JOHNNIE. This incredible collection of songs by pianist extraordinaire Johnnie Johnson feels and sounds like something the Smithsonian Museum conjured up. Everything about it comes across as classy and straight to the heart. Johnson, of course, is a pianist for all ages, having come to the attention of the world when he started performing and recording with Chuck Berry during their very first days together. Johnson supplied the keyboard grandeur for so many of Berry’s magical hits that it’s almost like his name should have been on the records too. It’s nothing short of amazing how many classics Johnson did. This unbeatable collection of many of those songs and so many others is cause for an outbreak of joy. There are plenty of guests like Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Rivers, John Sebastian and other instrumental maestros to keep the blood running for infinity. But even above all the names is the total sound of just how this music needs to be. It’s actually unlikely that anyone else could really sound so incredibly suited to come up with the ability to capture exactly what needs to happen. Johnson has got every single thing locked in. His rolling rhythms, his aggressive leads and everything in-between is here. For those investigating where the real sounds of rock & roll originated, this is the primer to study. And as if that isn’t enough, the second CD includes interviews with Bonnie Raitt and classic radio DJ Pat St. John in eye-opening conversation about why Johnnie Johnson is not only such a great musician, but also contributed so very much to the invention of rock & roll itself. This is like taking the master class in what happened at the beginning of the sound that really did change history. Do not miss.
JEFF LARSON WITH GERRY BECKLEY. The 1970s will always be a decade when strong and winning voices married up with solid songwriting for a time when so many memories, and massive hits, still live. Singer Gerry Beckley is one half of the unstoppable duo America, and will always be someone who is remembered as an all-timer. Beckley has reunited with Jeff Larson now, and they’ve grabbed the lightning again to create sound that is one not to be forgotten. Larson went further and recorded Beckley’s songs and a friendship was born. Now they’ve become an actual duet and the ante has been upped. The two are singing new songs they’ve written together, and the results are something that isn’t always findable: voices that strengthen each other when they work as one, and songs that really soar. And while it might not be exactly what present day music is leaning towards, that’s beside the point. Because when these kinds of two voices come together, it starts to feel like they were born to sing as a duo. It really has the sound of a group. Not like America, but a new group. When that happens, it’s almost impossible to resist. Songs like “Looking at the Rain,” “Sleight of Hand” and “Again” are here for a reason, and that’s to be heard. Jeff Larson and Gerry Beckly are both fine singers. Together they sound meant to be. And that’s history.
Brad Mehldau, RIDE INTO THE SUN. Without doubt, Brad Mehldau is one of the most inventive jazz pianists of the past three decades. His ability to write original compositions that sound like they clearly are brand new, and then perform them with enough brand new feeling like no one else would ever write such emotional pieces made Mehldau one of the freshest players of the recent crew. It was like he came from another place completely, and then found ways to even go further into his own world after that. The musician hit a few sidetracks, but it never stopped him from trying to stay moving. On RIDE INTO THE SUN the man takes on a list of Elliot Smith songs and makes them his own, as well as using a Nick Drake gem and another by Christopher Bell and Alexander William. All that said, the new release is one of the most inventive of the past years, and only Mehldau is likely able to generate the idea. The way the young pianist first entered the jazz scene was stellar. He really did seem like he had a new approach to the music. And when he hit a few curves in his life, it looked like something might keep him from going the disance. That is no longer the case. Brad Mehldau is at the top of the jazz peak, and sounds like he knows where the road is going. Using Elliot Smith’s repertoire is not only brilliant, but also fun. So its full speed ahead for a musician who promises a future to excite. That’s jazz beauty.
Mike Miz SOMETIMES BY SURPRISE. There really are heart-busting albums that arrive out of left field and break open a new door with wonder and strength. So, in many ways, Mike Miz’s latest collection of stunning songs really is SOMETIMES BY SURPRISE. For starters, Miz is a superlative guitarist. You can hear the sounds of greatness in every track on this release. The way he plays goes from folkie-dolkie thrills into the blues and rock & roll with equal individualism. But what makes the lucky 13 tracks so memorable is how individual they are. It feels like a brand new style of guitarism has arrived in the man’s hands. Producer Ted Pecchio has a way of inspiring not only Miz but the whole band into taking songs like “Out at the Lake,” “Emerald, Green and Blue” and “I Ain’t a Kid” into the limits in making sure originality is achieved. Mike Miz is someone to pay real attention to. That is no other way to say it. Everything he touches does not sound like anyone else, and at the same he also stretches out to make sure every track doesn’t sound like another of his very own. Miz is a musician who can not only mix it up, he also can create styles that aren’t really being done by anyone else. And as an ending thrill, this aggregation takes on Jim Croce’s all-time stunner “I Got a Name,” which unfortunately came at the end of Groce’s life. But fortunately, the song has arrived and given another chance to show why there will always be songs that last forever. Mike Miz knows.
Mitch Ryder, WITH LOVE. It’s amazing how many albums the unique Mitch Ryder has recorded for European companies. It is no doubt he is truly a superstar there. And, fortunately, the latest release WITH LOVE for Ruf Records in Germany is a stone cold classic. Produced by super producer Don Was and featuring a studio full of fine players, Ryder digs down deep on vocals and material in a way that turns WITH LOVE into what really should be a true comeback in America. It’s that good. Of course, that starts with the voice. The Michigan man has been a natural killer singer since his days fronting the Detroit Wheels in the 1960s, racking up a wall of hit singles and a true ability to front one of the better bands of that era. And they were just as great when they shortened their name to just Detroit, and achieved musical nirvana recording Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground’s all-time track “Rock & Roll.” Still one for the history books. Today the man’s voice is full of strength and passion, and really does feel like it will last forever. Songs like “Lilli May,” “One Monkey,” “Wrong Hands” and “Just the Way It Is” could kick ass all the way up the Hit Parade if given a chance. All are originals except “The Artist,” written with Ryder’s wife. How many superstars from 60 years ago are doing that? So for all those who used to include Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels all-timers in the Sixties, don’t pass WITH LOVE by without listening and hearing what has been done by an artist with his soul full of passion and power and set us free once before. Who knows: maybe Mitch Ryder will be headlining the 2028 Presidential inauguration in the new White House building being constructed right now in the East Wing, and will be re-christened then as the James Brown Ballroom. Mitch Ryder is an unstoppable rock & roll hero, tough as nails and always ready to take it to the limit. Never give up.
ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES. Great soul singers aren’t exactly falling out of the trees lately. It’s a tight road that must be taken. Voices have to be strong enough to take over the song, without putting the band too far in the background. Band leader Saint Paul has a way of keeping the Broken Bones on point while at the same time he is in total control of the bandstand. With seven musicians behind him that is no small feat. But the group comes completely together so the train speeds down the tracks and gets where it’s supposed to be going. The rock textures of the guitar and the funkified kick of the rhythm section are in perfect coordination, and that is the only way everything really comes together. It’s called syncopated explosion. Their new self-titled album is all there, to say the least. In some ways, it’s like they found the only key that could unlock their greatness, and now it’s just a matter of keeping the band together and writing songs that let everyone shine. So many of the greats of the R&B bands in the 1960s and early ’70s fell by the wayside in the ’80s. Something happened that turned down the temperature of where the bands needed to be. As hip-hop took control of the wheel it felt like there wasn’t much room for anything else. But slowly soul music is peeking out of the curtains and moving to the front of the stage. Look for this high-kicking group to help lead the way.
Boz Scaggs, DETOUR. Here’s a musician who’s taking some interesting turns in a long and illustrious career that ranges from Southern R&B, free-wheeling rock & roll, sophisticated soul and, now full-on vocal jazz that takes the very best elements of the Great American Songbook as well as some sideline classics like Allen Toussaint’s “It’s Raining,” the blues classic “Tomorrow Night” and Scaggs’ own signature song “I’ll Be Long Gone.” Even though the man’s voice has a true beauty, on many of these new recordings the singer is stretching in new directions in ways that fit him perfectly. It often feels like an irresistible aging that wraps itself around the material just right, and at other times the songs have the trademark Boz Scaggs-sound which have been thrilling listeners all these years. There is a classiness to everything about DETOUR that can’t be missed. The graphics include no photos, but the upscale feeling is one of a modern art accomplishment. That falls right into the musical groove. And the album title, DETOUR, is also the right-on reflection of how the sounds relate to the man’s well-established past. In the end, it’s true that Boz Scaggs has always been a seeker, with early rhythm & blues-tinged originals, through country-tinged classics and right into sophisticated rock & roll. Jazz classics, accompanied by some of the best musicians alive, is another step into an unending thrill. Boz Scaggs knows.
The Third Mind, RIGHT NOW! America just might be ready now for a great semi-new band. That is something in the way The Third Mind has evolved that is truly breathtaking. They way the group has taken the wildness of some of their early attack and found a way to come together as a band. But also are still pushing at the borders of the incredible American music they clearly love. Jesse Sykes’ vocals move beautifully from “Shake Sugaree” to “Pretty Polly” like the songs might have been written together in one day, but end up totally different. There is something clearly going on with the six members. It feels like minds are expanding as they play, and the end results are there to be determined. Or, in a word, freedom has grabbed the reins. With other members like Dave Alvin, David Immergluck, Michael Jerome, Victor Krummenacher and special guest Willie Aron, there really are no borders. The Third Mind have taken the best side of the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s, and kept their eye on the songlist to keep from getting lost. At the same time, the sky and the soundbooth are the limit . And just maybe the third mind–and album–is the charm. Anything is possible.
Song of the Month
Jim Keller “Got No Time for That”
This man is no stranger to a hit record. He co-wrote the Tommy Tutone smasheroon of the early 1980s, “867-5309” and other songs that have stayed on various favorites lists. On Jim Keller’s latest track, if feels like he’s caught the vibes again and might be on his way to the winner’s circle. The key now is Keller’s voice. It’s all-American but not too smooth. He’s been at the highest points of popdom, but also had to live with the road ahead that isn’t always too open. The chance that he’s taking one of the strongest shots of his career feels like 2026 is going to be a very good year.
Bentley’s Bandstand: October 2025