Altered Five Blues Band - Cryin' Mercy (2014)

Altered Five Blues Band's highly anticipated third album, produced and mixed by Grammy winner Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi, James Cotton, etc.) is a fierce collection of original, contemporary blues fused with vintage soul. “JT” Taylor’s powerful voice anchors the sound and drives home the message in songs like the roaring opening “Demon Woman,” the stone-cold blues of “Move House,” the vivacious shuffle “I’m in Deep,” the soul-drenched balled “Find My Wings,” and sassy “Counterfeit Lover.” The rhythm section of drummer Scott Schroedl and bassist Mark Solveson grooves hard and enjoys telepathic interaction with keyboardist Ray Tevich and guitarist Jeff Schroedl. Guitar World raves that Schroedl has “hi-tech chops” and contributes “superlative solo work.”

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, frontman Jeff Taylor’s voice is “gloriously gritty.” The Shepherd Express simply states he sounds like “a voice from Stax/Volt 45s.” Altered Five’s sophomore album, Gotta Earn It, hit #5 on the Root Music Report chart, #18 on the Living Blues Radio Chart, and the band won “Blues Artist of the Year” at the 34th annual WAMI Award Show.