Michael Osborn

Michael Osborn - What Goes Around (With Robben Ford) - 2007 - Checkerboard

"Michael Osborn is one of the best blues guitarists around, he can really lay it down". - John Lee Hooker. For his sophomore release on his own Checkerboard label, Michael Osborn proves that the sensational guitar work found on “Touch Tone” was absolutely no fluke. The new recording, “What Goes Around,” delivers first rate Blues. No questions asked. It is a testimony on how Blues guitar should be played, with tone and craft that relies on no hand-speed flying across the frets to lay down as many notes as possible. Rather this a tastefully rendered example of creating exceptional music by stretching notes and little fills that hit the mark to perfection. © Bluenotes, Cascade Blues Association

Traditional "no frills" blues played with exceptional technique. A great blues album from Michael Osborn, with backing from the magnificent Robben Ford. Buy Osborn's great "Touch Tone" album for more of the same. It is also worthwhile checking out albums by Robert Cray for more blues in this genre.

TRACKS

1 What Goes Around
2 The Glamorous Life
3 Don't You Do Me That Way
4 Hey Baby
5 Innocent (But On Trial)
6 Shake These Blues
7 One Thing Before You Go
8 Got Me Runnin'
9 Nightmare Blues
10 The Rum Boogie

All original tracks

MUSICANS

Michael Osborn - Guitar/Vocals
John Moore - Drums
Tom Szell - Bass
Bill Rhoades - Harmonica/Vocals
D.K. Stewart - Piano
Robben Ford - Guitar

REVIEWS

A delicious new work coming form singer and guitar player Michael Osborn. Michael is a well known artist in blues circles as, for many years, he was John Lee Hooker’s band leader and a very popular blues musician in San Francisco area. For more than thirty five years he has worked hard to reach a good reputation. He has shared stage all over the world with such great musicians like Robben Ford, Willie Dixon, Elvin Bishop, James Cotton, Robert Cray, Charlie Musselwhite, Brownie McGhee, Ray Cooder, Carlos Santana, John Hammond, Bonnie Raitt, Etta James and many others. You will find on this new CD his amazing guitar ‘tone’, together with the contribution as guest musician in five cuts of the superb Robben Ford. The rest of musicians are Bill Rhoades on harp, D.K. Stewart on piano, Tom Szell on bass and John Moore on drums. GREAT. © Dusty & Val Scott, Copyright © 2002-2008 DustyBlue, All Rights Reserved , www.dustyblues.com/cdreviews2008/feb2008.html

What Goes Around offers a clinic in playing terrific blues guitar that doesn't overwhelm the song. His contemporary-yet-traditional style, beholden to no single influence, is gritty yet sophisticated, with surprising flourishes, a great awareness of the pocket, and cool note choices. Osborn is pushed to excel partly by the presence of Robben Ford, who contributes his unmistakable guitar to five tracks. Bill Rhoades' harmonica serves as a model not only of phrasing and tone but of when to lay out. © Blues Revue

Blues guitar "veteran" Michael Osborn (John Lee Hooker, The Ford Band, Charlie Musselwhite) comes with a brand new album. Together with his friend Robben Ford who plays guitars on several tracks. Bill Rhoades on vocals on two tracks and on harmonica. I wrote "veteran" in the opening sentence: .. but Michael sounds as fresh as a young (blues) cat. Lots of energy and superb guitar licks, crystal clear vocals and very good song writing! © Ton Wanten- Triple R Blues Radio

Michael is one of the limited group of guitarists around who know that less really means more. His technique is precise and his playing is imaginative but he never shows off. The blues he plays is traditional but sounds fresh and fun. Michael's original material - it's strong and can hold it's own along classic blues songs. With "What Goes Around" I like what I hear, a lot!
Radio Sfera — www.sfera.umk.pl — in Torun (Poland) © Przemek Draheim

If you love your Blues guitar aggressive, biting and inventive yet still anchored in B.B. & FREDDY, you’ll probably love Michael Osborn. There’s a whole lot of Power-driven fun mixed with a wealth of supreme talent on this disc. 5 Bottles for a CD that’ll surprise many and have all of Michael Osborn’s fans saying, “I told ya so!” © Real Blues Magazine

For his sophomore release on his own Checkerboard label, Michael Osborn proves that the sensational guitar work found on “Touch Tone” was absolutely no fluke. The new recording, “What Goes Around,” delivers first rate Blues. No questions asked. It is a testimony on how Blues guitar should be played, with tone and craft that relies on no hand-speed flying across the frets to lay down as many notes as possible. Rather this a tastefully rendered example of creating exceptional music by stretching notes and little fills that hit the mark to perfection. © Bluenotes, Cascade Blues Association

If you check your John Lee Hooker records from the Coast To Coast Band period, chances are you'll see the name of guitarist Michael Osborn. Well, here he is in his own right, accompanied by guests Bill Rhoades and Robben Ford, and demonstrating why Hooker admired him so much. © Juke Blues

When you see Michael's name on the sleeve, you know you are going to hear some quality guitar work. © Blues Matters

BIO

During the mid-60's Michael Osborn was introduced to blues music through his friendship with Robben and Patrick Ford. Out of this association, Michael began playing bass guitar with the Ford brothers in various blues, rhythm & blues bands over a three-year period, from 1967 thiough 1969. In 1970, Michael (having switched to playing rhythm guitar, joined the first incarnation of the Charles Ford Band featuring Gary Smith on harmonica and Lou Bottoni on bass guitar. After many months of club dates, Pat and Robben left the band to join Charlie Musselwhite. (The Charles Ford Band disbanded until Pat and Robben reformed the following year as a quartet with Mark Ford on Harmonica and Stan Poplin on bass.) In the early 1970's, Michael recorded wlth the Charles Ford Band and Charlie Musselwhite. He also continued to build his guitar chops through the 70's while performing in various blues bands with Gary Smith, Mark Ford, Mixed Nuts (featuring Bonnie Raitt's brother, David Raitt) and an occasional Charles Ford Band reunion. In June of 1981 Michael became lead guitarist for the great John Lee Hooker. He toured all over North America, Europe, Japan and Brazil with John Lee for the next 13 years. During this same period, he backed such people as Robert Cray, Elvin Bishop, Brownie McGee, Willie Dixon, Jarnes Cotton and Charlie Musselwhite. He has also played on stage with such notables as Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Johnson, Albert Collins, Ry Cooder, Carlos Santana, John Hammond, Etta James, Curtis Salgado, and The Nighthawks. Michael has performed at many prestigious venues in the United States and Europe such as Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, The Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, The North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Folk Festival, The Hammersmith Odeon in London, The Monterey blues Festival,etc. Since he left John Lee Hooker's Coast to Coast Blues Band, Michael fronts his own band and also performs with blues singing sensation Sista Monica. He was one of the headliners at the Mountain Winery Summer Series blues Festival '94, and has toured Europe several times, playing festivals and clubs throughout, including Djurs Bluesland Festival in Denmark. He has toured Western Canada, the Pacific Northwest and various Northern California venues (including the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Sacramento Blues Festival) with great success. © Blue Rock'It Records 2001-2007