1    Talkin Bout You Baby (2:16)
2    Tired Of Doing Nothing (4:04)
3    Why Do You Let Me Down So Hard (4:14)
4    Love And Appreciation (To Georgia) (2:36)
5    Seven Day Blues (3:56)
6    Come On Home With Me (3:01)
7    Tell You All (3:31)
8    Something I Want To Tell You (3:53)
9    Gonna Give You One More Chance (4:19)
10    I Want To Do It (3:38)
11    Do Right Man (3:40)
12    One Of These Days (5:19)
13    I Can't Wait (3:21)
14    Listen Everybody (3:35)
15    You Can Leave My House (5:38)

Johnny Tucker - volcals
Big John Atkinson - guitar
Troy Sandow - guitar, harmonica
Bob Corritore - harmonica
Kid Ramos - guitar
Bob Welch - organ
Scott Smart - bass
Malachi Johnson - drums
Marty Dodson - drums

It is something of a mystery why Johnny Tucker isn’t better known. He has been making music professionally since he first moved to Los Angeles back in 1964, singing in a James Brown tribute act before joining Philip Walker’s band as the drummer before moving on to play with the likes of Johnny Otis, Floyd Dixon and Robert Cray. His first album for HighJohn Records, Why You Lookin’ At Me?, was released in 2006, the same year as the wonderful Floyd Dixon Celebration, Time Brings About A Change. Tucker turns in engaging performances on both the CD and the DVD recordings of the two-night gig held to honour the legendary pianist and singer. He is a talented singer, with a warm, rough-hewn voice that straddles the border of blues and soul, as well as being a sharp-witted songwriter – all 15 tracks on Seven Day Blues were composed by him.

For his long-overdue second album on HighJohn, label chief Bob Auerbach put the singer together with Big Jon Atkinson and a hand-selected band of musicians. The tactic of pairing a veteran singer with younger acolytes doesn’t always work, especially when the backing musicians overwhelm the singer they are meant to support (viz, The Howlin’ Wolf Album). But when it does work, on albums like Nappy Brown’s 2007 Long Time Coming (with superb support from Sean Costello) or on Muddy’s 1977 Hard Again, the results are magical, with the authority and maturity of the older singer given a shot of the energy and excitement of youth. Seven Day Blues is very much in this latter category.

The core band comprises Atkinson and Scott Smart (who play both guitars and bass on different tracks), Troy Sandow on harmonica and bass, and Malachi Johnson and Marty Dodson and drums. Bob Welch contributes organ to the Sam Cooke-styled soul of “Love And Appreciation (To Georgia)” and the jump blues of “Tell You All”, which also features the guitar talents of Kid Ramos. Bob Corritore also contributes harp to five tracks. From the opening Howlin’ Wolf-esque, “Talkin’ About You Baby”, it’s obvious that the musicians understand how to bring the best out of Tucker’s voice. They know when to step forwards for their solo spots, but they never get in the way of the song.

Each song on the album was recorded live at Atkinson’s BigTone Studio in Hayward, CA, with all the players in one room, playing vintage gear and recorded on vintage equipment, and this commitment to authenticity comes through on every track. From the uptown Chicago shuffle of “Tired Of Doing Nothing” to the aching slow blues of the closing “You Can Leave My House”, via the primeval funk of the title track and the echo-drenched slide of “Do-Right Man”, each song reeks of deep emotion and well as a true understanding and appreciation of the way music used to be made.

Packing 15 songs into 57 minutes, there is no room for filler or fat on Seven Day Blues. Indeed, whilst it is dangerously presumptive to make predictions in January, it is not foolhardy to suggest that Seven Day Blues is an early contender for one of the albums of the year. ---bluesblastmagazine.com

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01 - Messing With The Kid 05:59
02 - Driving Wheel 06:11
03 - Unchain My Heart 06:04
04 - Call My Job 09:00
05 - If You Love Me 04:46
06 - Back To Mississippi 07:34
07 - I Can't Afford 2 07:59
08 - Just A Little Bit 05:20
09 - Come Together 06:08
10 - Woman I Love 07:39

John 'Broadway' Tucker – vocals
Leszek Cichoński – guitar
Wojciech Karolak – Hammond organ
Jim Norris – drums
David Price – bass

Leszek Cichonski was born on 25th Nov., 1957 in Wroclaw. Since 1991 he's been a band-leader of his own group GUITAR WORKSHOP employing top Polish musicians (Wojciech Karolak, Jerzy Piotrowski –SBB, Krzysztof Scieranski and others) as well as a blues promotor for Poland. In 1996 he had recorded an album "Leszek Cichonski & friends - LIVE" with some of the best polish guitarists: Grzegorz Skawinski, Jerzy Styczynski, Dariusz Kozakiewicz and Carlos Johnson from Chicago.

Leszek Cichonski is a laureate of the Maria Jurkowska Award granted every year by the Polish Radio Programme 3 musical jurnalist for his propagation of the blues and musical education among young people. According to "Gitara i Bass" and "Twoj Blues" magazine, he is the best polish blues-rock guitarist of 2001, 2004 and 2003 year. Over a period of last five years, he has organized and played more than 150 concerts in Poland and Czech Republic with Chicago based blues players. Chicago's greats, Carlos Johnson, Sammy Fender, Pistol Pete came to Poland at different times and played with his band, “Guitar Workshop”.

Cichonski's CD, “Thanks Jimi" is his tribute to Jimi Hendrix. It features Chicago's own Stan Skibby and Anika - a very talented woman from Wroclaw. “Thanks Jimi” has got a few prestigious Awards of Polish Music Magazines as The Best Polish Blues Album and the Best Rock Guitar Album of 2001y. The biggest so far guitar band lead by Leszek Cichonski plays in the center of gorgous Polish city Wroclaw every year from may 2003 y. During “Thanks Jimi Festival” e made attempt to set the new Guinness Record in simultaneous playing Jimi Hendrix's super hit "Hey Joe" . The jury has officialy confirmed 1581 guitarist taking part in this unique event in 2006 y.

His last disc, "Come Together – Live” issued in may 2005 was recorded with Mississippi born bluesman John “Broadway” Tucker and got very warm reviews already. Cichonski and the John "Broadway" Tucker Band kicked off the night concert on June 24th at The Main Stage of the Monterey Bay Blues Festival. The first tune to be heard was our guitarist's composition "Thanks Jimi" That was the Pole's first performance on the famous Monterey stage. --- cichonski.art.pl

Płyta – Live, nagrana w szczecińskim Clubie 'Free Blues' w 2003. Każdy, kto uwielbia 'Leszkowe' granie, powinien mieć ją u siebie. Płyta na bardzo wysokim poziomie... 10 znakomitych utworów zagranych z wielką finezją, a w każdym z nich, gitara to indywidualność. Od pewnego czasu, jestem pod wielkim wrażeniem 'solówek' tego gitarzysty. Zawsze uwielbiałam dźwięk gitary, ale dopiero Leszek 'otworzył' mnie na jej barwę. Nadał jej uroczą melodyjność, śpiewność taką, że słuchając jej, wszystko układa się dla mnie w jedną subtelną całość.

W każdym utworze można uchem 'wypatrzeć' gitarowy 'rodzynek'. Dlatego, płytę tę słuchać można wielokrotnie, chociażby dla takich utworów – 'Messing With The Kid', 'Driving Wheel' czy też 'Call My Job' ...zresztą wszystkie są wyjątkowe. Ta muzyka 'smakuje' zawsze, nawet wtedy, kiedy odłoży się ją dłużej na półkę. Ja kiedy po nią sięgam, zawsze mam te same dreszcze... to muza, która nigdy się nie nudzi. Opisując 'Come Together' nie można pominąć barwy głosu J. 'Broadway' Tuckera – dynamiczna, charakterystyczna dla bluesa – 'chicagowska chrypa' :). Wojciech Karolak 'jak zwykle' mile zaskoczył wspaniałą formą. Całość brzmi wyśmienicie. Jest to płyta, która powinna znaleźć się u każdego, kto wrażliwy jest na wyjątkową muzę. Szczerze ją wszystkim polecam. ---Beata, fanclub.cichonski.art.pl

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