Review: Bob Corritore & Friends ‘You Shocked Me’

By Mike O’Cull

Harp rocker Bob Corritore gifts us all with an all-pro showcase of today’s finest blues artists on his new Vizztone Label Group/SWMAF record You Shocked Me.

The set comes out September 9th, 2022 and features 16 servings of pure, untainted blues goodness recorded between 2018 and 2022 with some current leading lights of the scene including Alabama Mike, John Primer, Diunna Greenleaf, Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry, Jimi “Primetime” Smith, Oscar Wilson, Johnny Rawls, Sugaray Rayford, Bob Stroger, Francine Reed, and Willie Buck.

Corritore captured and produced the sessions at Tempest Recording in Tempe, Arizona and did excellent, dedicated work putting down urgent, live-feeling takes of outstanding songs. His production and tight, to-the-point harmonica style are the common threads connecting these cuts and make You Shocked Me a long, sweet listen from end to end.

Born in Chicago in 1956, Bob Corritore has been in love with the blues since he first heard Muddy Waters on the radio when he was 12. It didn’t take long until he was playing harmonica and collecting blues albums. He cut his teeth sitting in on Maxwell Street until he was of legal age to play the bars and spent time hanging around harp masters like Big Walter Horton, Little Mack Simmons, Louis Myers, and Junior Wells.

By the late 70s, he was playing live and making records with many veteran musicians. He first stepped out as a solo artist in 1999. His music has been honored with a Keeping The Blues Alive Award, a Blues Music Award, a Living Blues Award, and a Blues 411 Jimi Award. He’s become a popular and charismatic presence in the blues world and any new material he puts out is guaranteed to be worth your listening time.

You Shocked Me jumps off with the shuffling beat of “Hiding Place” featuring Chicago bluesman John Primer on vocals and guitar. Primer worked with the bands of Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, and Magic Slim before going solo and becoming a prominent Windy City attraction. He adds his straight-up Chicago ways to this one and turns it into a February ice-melter. Corritore is a master of the Chicago sound and his lead and backup harp work here add tons of conviction and soul.

“Squeeze Me Baby” is primal and raw. It’s a bare-knuckle sort of blues that’s all sharp edges and desire. Alabama Mike dominates the vocal microphone on it and his high-toned, strident vocals drive the track as hard as it can go. Corritore shows his depth here, instinctively fitting into Mike’s vibe and making it his own. Mike’s vocal performance on this song is one of the many amazing moments Bob’s production extracted from the singers involved with You Shocked Me and truly represents the spirit of the blues.

Speaking of moments, one you’ll want to play over and over is the mighty Diunna Greenleaf’s romping, stomping star turn on the album’s title cut “You Shocked Me.” It’s the kind of syncopated dance floor filler that gave rise to rock and roll back in the day and Greenleaf’s bold vocal style sends it up into the sky. Here, Corritore contributes more melodic harmonica lines that are ideal for this type of tune but never loses that gorgeous, dirty tone of his. Skip this number at your own risk.

Sugaray Rayford shows all the way up on the galloping “Josephine.” Rayford has a magic touch with this style of jumping, vintage blues and his big, confident voice really makes this song happen. It’s the sound of the best party you’ve ever been invited to.

Greatness is liberally deployed throughout You Shocked Me and the liveness of it all makes this a top choice to blow the dust out of your ears and get them reset on what matters. Can’t-miss tracks are everywhere and include “The World’s In A Bad Situation” featuring Johnny Rawls and “Don’t Need Your Permission” showing off Francine Reed. Bob Corritore is absolutely the man of the hour for facilitating a record like this. Live blues is what this planet needs. Come get some.

You Shocked Me on Apple Music Here

Bob Corritore website

Listen “The World’s In A Bad Situation”