Customer Reviews

Good Thing

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I was recently turned on to this band by a lady friend in Los Angeles who has had the opportunity to see them play a number of times. When she described their music to me, I looked them up on this site and ordered a CD to check them out.

Tight and funky, Michael John and the Bottom Line play the kind of hard-driving jive honky blues typified by earlier bands like the Nighthawks, the Siegel-Schwall Band and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. They are the kind of band that could fill a nightclub in a hip town night after night. They are the kind of band I always liked to see in my salad days when out for a night of drinking and dancing.

Lead vocalist Michael John has a voice quite suited to the genre and every member of the band has his chance to shine. Particularly impressive is the sax work of Eddie Zelaznik and also the keyboards of Harlan Spector. My favorites are Dirty Tricks, Understanding Woman, All Hell's Cutting Loose, and You Can, You Can. My least favorites are Angel Muffin and It's A Good Thing. Though they are eminently danceable, the lyrics are predictably cheesy and lame.

Don't look for any hard-core blues here. This music is good-time music and should appeal to quite a wide audience if the band ever breaks out of Southern California. I recommend this to the casual blues lover and to anyone who likes to dance as a good antidote to the typical garbage heard in dance clubs. AND, I'm looking forward to the band's next CD!

This is the 2nd cd by this fabulous California band. I have both & they are awesome!! From the first time I heard this band I was blown away by the strong, right on vocals. Oh yeah, they got the blues and know how to use it. Songs are full of soul, the lyrics cover it all, not to mention the bands abilities to be just as strong as the voice. No fillers on either cd. If you can get your hands on the 1st one, I highly recommend because there are definitely 3 chart topper songs that are on it (even if the charts don't know it). Both cds are worth every penny.

Michael John & the Bottom Line are setting a high standard for cd content. If you like great vocals with soul, great musicians that know how to play together, and lyrics that are refreshing play after play, I can't recommend these guys enough.

I'm proud to have these guys on my internet broadcast and I look forward to many more! Profession, tight & right on. Two thumbs up here.

Blue IceWater Radio www.blueicewater.com