In April 2024, I spent two days recording with Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, the 77 year old Grammy nominated bluesman who has been a mentor to me since 2019. We recorded the material live at his club, the Blue Front Cafe, which is the oldest continually run juke joint in the US (owned by the Holmes family since opening in 1948).
To keep the sound true to the albums which inspired me, I recorded the sessions on a vintage reel to reel tape recorder, along with old school tube equipment, all of which I drove down from New England. The recordings are very “live,” as close to the moment as we could be, to bring you right into the room with us. It is essentially a modern day field recording, inpsired by the work of musicologists like David Evans and Alan Lomax.
PRESS FOR AT THE BLUE FRONT:
“Old-school music the old-school way [by] a contemporary torchbearer of a traditional Delta blues style.”
- Premier Guitar, July 14, 2025
“These musical tales of struggle and perseverance are both a hypnotic link to the blues’ West African origins as well as a reminder of how relevant the art form can be.”
- Noah Schaffer, WBUR (Boston NPR), June 10, 2025
“His own take on the style using a 12-string electric guitar.”
- Hobart Rowland, MAGNET Magazine, April 28, 2025
“Gritty and rough-hewn, just right for the feeling… A loose, down-home juke joint vibe, with a North Mississippi-meets-Bentonia groove… It kicks in all gears because these guys can really play… His own compositions are all strong.”
- Frank Matheis, Living Blues Magazine, July, 2025
“Remarkable.”
- Big Takeover, June 23, 2025
“At The Blue Front is the sound of the torch being passed, confidently and surely.”
- Doug Collette, All About Jazz, August 16, 2025
“Hypnotic… Here, his guitar, at least to these ears, evokes the late John Fahey somewhat. The impression is indeed almost as strong… Unequivocally, the electric twelve-string and the percussion give that vintage Bentonia sound a new sheen in 2025.”
- Jim Hynes, Glide Mag, August 18, 2025
“When Ryan Lee Crosby plays, his music doesn’t just summon the ghosts of Delta blues — he communes with them… the Portsmouth, RI guitarist brings a haunting immediacy to the Bentonia tradition… [His] playing on the 12-string guitar is truly distinctive.”
- Lauren Leadingham, American Blues Scene, May 27, 2025
“Ryan Lee Crosby can create a hypnotic groove derived from the blues's roots in western Africa.”
- Bruce Sylvester, Goldmine, August 19, 2025
“Serpentine fretwork and dusty vocal channels the mesmerizing, soul-piercing sound and spontaneous style of classic Bentonia blues masters… At The Blue Front celebrates both tradition and innovation — echoing the storied past of Bentonia blues while forging a path forward. The album is Crosby’s deeply personal reflection of years spent in the company of legends, feeling a musical pulse in body and soul. The sound is a testament to the blues’ power to heal, connect, and tell stories that transcend time and place. For Crosby, it’s a living conversation between the past, present, and future.”
- Darryl Sterdan, Tinnitist, July 21, 2025
“Crosby for his part decided it's time to get the party started with some pacy, hypnotic, mid-Atlantic picking that simultaneously heads South East to the Sahara, as well as celebrating the local spirits in the deep South, who he further placates with a distinctly Southern Blues tale in more traditional style. It's a serious statement of album intent from this open minded blues man.”
- The Slow Music Movement, June 5, 2025
“Visionary guitarist [who has] a dedication to craft.”
- Michael Limnios, Blues.GR, August 12, 2025
“It’s hard not to love the entrancing sound of that 12-string guitar from Crosby in combination with Holmes’ 6-string.”
- Mike, The BluesPowR Blog, June 9, 2025
“Mindfully sculpted.”
- Russell A. Trunk, Exclusive Magazine, August 21, 2025
