Media/Press

  • Midwest Record
    • This is certainly the kind of record you would buy from an artist’s merch table after a club gig.  Stone seems like the kind of cat that puts on a smoking blues/rock  show and that energy traverses to record better than many others in the same situation.  Keeping his sound free, easy and accessible, it was made to be enjoyed with some beer and bbq while the good times are flowing around you.  There’s a lot of sly influences tucked into his music and he seems to instinctively know how to roll it all into something that keeps you coming back for more.  Stone is an entertainer that knows which end is up.  This is a load of fun.

    Blues Bytes

    • RB Stone has covered a lot of ground during his life, working on the railroad as a youngster. At 23, he sold everything but a guitar and his harmonica and moved from Ohio to Colorado to play music and to become a cowboy. Over time, he has continued his music career, having recorded fifteen albums and toured 32 countries and five continents. His latest release, Lonesome Traveler’s Blues (Middle Mountain Music), is proof that even cowboys get the blues.Lonesome Traveler’s Blues offers ten original tracks from Stone and others that mostly focus on blues. It’s a versatile set that includes the rocking “Mississippi Woman,” the smooth title track, the acoustic “Fairweather Friends,” the blues boogie tune, “Ain’t Gonna Bring Me Down,” with some great harp from Stone and slide guitar from Billy Crain.The autobiographical “Born into the Blues” is another great straight blues tune with more Chicago-style fretwork from Crain. “The Devil’s Satisfied” is an anti-drug song that showcases Glen Kuykendall on National guitar, and “Master of the Craft” extols the praises (and dangers) of a beautiful woman. “Find Yourself a Fool” is a nice 8-bar slow blues, which is followed by the humorous “Man With a Minivan.” Closing out the disc is the funky soul workout, “Don’t Be Mean.”Stone is a fine singer with a weathered vocal style. He also plays acoustic guitar and harmonica. In addition to Crain and Kuykendall, the backing band includes Jared “Jay” Palmer (bass), Spencer Strand (drums), David Sappington (drums), and Ed Adkins (upright bass). Lonesome Traveler’s Blues is a nice smooth set of great songs from a confident veteran that will please fans of blues and roots music.
  • Shortly after completing his academic studies at Kenton High School in Kenton, Ohio R.B. gained employment working on the railway as one of the many teams that travelled throughout the Midwest of America maintaining track and plant. This gave him a taste of adventure for the great outdoors. Although after two years he went back to a normal day job and a life of performing music was still just a daydream until three years later R.B. finally made the break and moved to Ignacio on the Sky Ute Indian Reservation; where he learnt to wrangle horses by day for back-country horse packing and practised his guitar playing by night. He eventually started performing by entertaining customers at night round the camp fire. This life abruptly ended when he was laid-off but, he chose to carry on and pursue a life of music.Since then he has recorded fifteen Americana albums that have never quite reached a wider world. Now, with this album R.B. has put together a collection of ten original numbers that should change that situation; for, they are all richly atmospheric; with textures ranging from soulful New Orleans blues to funky toe-tapping rhythms sweetly jogging alongside country shuffles and rumba grooves. Shining through all this good stuff here is the gripping and blasting harmonica of R.B. which is contrasted by the emotively searing slide and equally soothing, resophonic picking of Glen Kuykendall. Joining them are; Billy Crain; guitar, Jared ‘Jay’ Palmer; bass, Ed Atkins; double bass with Spencer Strand and David Sappington on drums.R. B. has an enticing world weary voice that is not dissimilar to Chris Rea, which is well suited to the witty and suggestive lyrics he so pleasingly writes as in ‘couldn’t be clearer, look in the mirror,’ from “Find Yourself a Fool” and from “Man With a Mini-Van,” we are treated to ‘Some guys drive pick-ups, they can take you out in that but, they can’t just stop anywhere and make love in the back.’This is a sparkling jewel of an album that possesses wit, charm and imagination.Brian Harman, Freelancer (UK)

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