Renown blues musician Sherman Holmes is best known as one third of the Holmes Brothers along with his younger brother Wendell and Popsy Dixon. In his first release since the deaths of his bandmates in 2015, and his first ever solo effort, Holmes as The Sherman Holmes Project is out with The Richmond Sessions. Backed by a veritable who’s who of Virginian talents including the Legendary Imgramettes (Almeta Ingram-Miller, Cheryl Marcia Maroney and Ann Cunningham) as well as Rob Ickes (dobro) and Sammy Shelor (banjo). A dozen others are involved in bringing the vision to life, including producer John Loman (director of the Virginia Folklife Program at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) and Joan Osborne (vocals). The eleven covers capture the soul and sensibility of American gospel and blues, including the traditional opener “Rock of Ages”, Marvin Gaye’s “Don’t Do It”; Vince Gill’s “Liza Jane”, Ben Harper’s “Homeless Child”, and the Stanley Brothers’ “White Dove.” The Richmond Sessions is a master class in capturing the gifts of a living legend and sharing them with new audiences – it is must-have for 2018. – Written by SMarx
SIMILAR | Solomon Burke, Corey Harris, The Holmes Brothers, Taj Mahal