Veteran blues guitarist
Barry Levenson wrote all 11 selections for
Hard Times Won, which co-stars
Johnny Dyer on vocals and harmonica. The music ranges from lowdown Chicago blues to swinging jazz/blues with Mike Thompson's organ giving a soul-jazz feel to some of the instrumentals.
Levenson's lyrics are intelligent, there is a surprising amount of variety on the songs even though they do stick to blues, and the musicianship is excellent.
Levenson and
Dyer in particular make for a great team, and the results are often exciting and are always quite spirited. This highly enjoyable set should appeal to both blues and jazz fans. ~ Scott Yanow