Search - Charles Ford & Robben :: Charles Ford Band

One of the best...

Kavity Killer | denver, colorado United States | 06/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Second generation white blues band, amazing harp and guitar, raw, tight sound, long blazing solos...belongs in every serious blues cat's collection."

Early Robben Ford!

S. Gorman | 12/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"People just surfing into this site might not realize that this is THE Robben Ford of LA studio/jazz fame, along with his brother Mark on blues harp from way back in the late 60s or early 70s. ...I've had this album on vinyl since way back then and it has been one of the very few albums that I will loan to NOBODY, not even my brother! Robben's blues roots are right up front and center, killer blues guitar on every cut. And brother Mark tears it up on harp, amazing because these guys were just kids when this album was recorded. If this aint considered a classic, it oughta be! If you enjoy raw, rough and rowdy blues, this is it."

Deep dish blues

Bomojaz | South Central PA, USA | 05/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I came across this CD pretty much by accident, never having heard of the Charles Ford Band before. Robben (gtr/vcl), Mark (hca), and Patrick Ford (d) are brothers and make up three-quarters of the band; Stanley Poplin is the fourth member on bass. The music they play is hard-core blues, straight out of the James Cotton and Paul Butterfield Blues Bands. Their slow blues pieces such as BLUE AND LONESOME and BLACK NIGHT are long and languorous with lots of solo space. Mark plays beautiful, heartfelt harmonica with lots of tremolo; the up-tempo WILD WOMAN features him nicely. Willie Dixon's I LOVE THE LIFE I LIVE gets a good treatment, though Robben's guitar solo near the end takes on a Jimi Hendrix feel that seems anomalous to the rest of the tune. The final track is taken from a live date and is an instrumental version of John Coltrane's THE PROMISE, and it's quite different from everything that's come before it. Nuff said about that cut. Robben's vocals have a John Hammond, Jr. flavor to them, though not quite as rough. I really enjoyed this CD and anyone who likes the Butterfield-Cotton-Johnny Winter approach to the blues should dig it too."