Bongo Boy recently released the thirteenth edition of their Backroom Blues various artists album series and it’s mostly a fine, modern day examination of the blues, with instrumentals and a wide assortment of blues rock tracks. The music is modern and vintage sounding at the same time featuring some tracks that transcend the genre with both fierce and spiritual sounds.

Bongo Boy favorites The New Bardots, featuring rocker Gar Francis, kicks off the album with a track called “Born Ready”, essentially an electrifying 12-bar blues-rocker filled with amusing lyrical innuendos. With their acoustic track “Homeward Bound”, The Delta Hound Dogs offers a slice of Delta blues that just about revives the ghost of Robert Johnson.

Another interesting track here comes by way of poet-vocalist Ann M. Wolf with her hypnotic spiritual called “Is There Any Room, Anymore for Love?” Not exactly a blues-rocker, the deep messages in her track are both inspiring and mesmerizing in their own way. The beauty here is the strength of Ann’s strong voice and the song's messages with strong political overtones.

A mainstay on Bongo Boy’s impressive roster of artists is Colorado-based guitarist and composer Charles Brown. With many acclaimed solo albums to his credit, Charles hits hard and fast with another instrumental blues-rock fusion track filled with his guitar wizardry. Renowned for his mastery of the instrumental rock genre for decades, Charles stands out here with his contribution “Back Alley Blues”, credited to his group moniker Charles Brown Mystics.

Also on this 12-track, 2025 CD/DL release is a fresh take on “It’s All Over Now” by Plainfield Slim. The song, written by Bobby Womack, sounds great in Slim’s hands and even stands up well next to the Stones 1964 version which was their first number one hit in the U.K.

Boyz ‘N’ Barry closes the album with a track called “Couldn't We” that sounds more like Brian Wilson than other tracks here. And that’s not a bad thing as the track has a tastly lyrical bounce that gives it a breezy West Coast pop feel. Yet, it’s a great way to end this CD or any CD for that matter.

Hats off again to Bongo Boy for their expertise at picking music by an exciting range of recording artists for this latest edition of their classy and classic sounding Backroom Blues series. Blues-rockers and rock music fans overall will find much to like about Bongo Boy’s Backroom Blues Volume 13.

RMR speaks to Charles Brown about Backroom Blues Volume 13

RMR: What’s your first impressions on the 2025 CD release of Bongo Boy’s Backroom Blues Volume 13? There’s quite a number of cool artists on hand don’t you think? Can you cite a favorite track or tracks?

Charles Brown: There’s some really great artists on this CD. It’s really hard to pick a favorite, but I really like the selections by the Delta Hound Dawgs. It’s very much like John Lee Hooker meets Robert Johnson. It’s just great to see so much great independent Blues music out there.

RMR: Tell us about your contribution to Backroom Blues Vol. 13 called “Back Alley Blues”. When does the track hail from?

Charles Brown: I came up with “Back Alley Blues” around the time Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown passed away. It made me think how important the British Blues Invasion in the 1960’s was. It’s a riff that’s very inspired by the players from that era: Clapton, Jimmy Page, Kim Simmonds, Alvin Lee…

RMR: What guitars are you playing on “Back Alley Blues” and can you tell us something else about your approach on the track? Who could you cite as an influence on that track?

Charles Brown: I’m using a Les Paul and a Marshall to get that Clapton/Bluesbreakers sound and feel. “Back Alley Blues” is inspired by Freddie King’s “Hideaway”, which Clapton does on the Bluesbreakers album. I also included a Wah pedal solo in the middle section showing my influence by players like Hendrix, Gary Moore, and even Van Halen.

RMR: It’s been a couple years since your last solo album A New Awakening was released. Do you have some fresh thoughts about that album and if you are writing or planning a new album release? What kind of musical directions would you like to explore next?

Charles Brown: I noticed that I use a capo on some of the stuff on New Awakening. That was probably influenced by working with The Substitutes (The Denver-based Who tribute band). A lot of Pete Townshend’s stuff uses a capo!

I’m working on putting together a collection of new songs. If I come up with enough stuff that is good enough, I might consider putting out a new CD at my Bandcamp site. It would be similar to my other solo things: Hard rock riffs with guitar synth melodies and textures, with acoustic  progressive elements.