New album complete!
News item posted 1st December 2009
The new album "Step By Step" is now complete and, all being well,
should be available early 2010.
Here's a sneak preview of the cover artwork (which is still being put
together in the design studio!)
...information available soon!
Work started on third album
News item posted 4th June 2009
    
Bob and the band are currently in the studio recording their next cd (it's nearly two years since "Making My Way Back Home" (FPCD 009) was released) this one will apparently have more of a blues feel than the previous two releases. With new songs from Bob, Dave Taylor and Paul Fronda, plus two or three 'oldies' - sounds promising!
...watch this space!
Blues news report from Finland
News item posted 16th November 2008
Southampton's own blues star Bob Pearce is back! Having worked exclusively in the Gospel field for the last few years, he and his band presented an evening of Gospel AND Blues at St. Denys' Church in Southampton on 20th September. As Bob is the most soulful vocalist the South Coast has produced, this is indeed good news.
...extract from Blues News, Finland.
Testwood Baptist Church beckons...
News item posted 13th November 2008
Following the success of the St. Denys Church concert in September, Bob and his band have been asked to play a similar concert at Testwood Baptist Church. The date for this has been set for Saturday 17th January.
Visit www.testwoodbaptist.org for details about the venue
Gig Review: “Blues in the Pews”
Bob Pearce at St Denys’ Church Saturday 20th Sept 2008
After 30 years in the blues industry, Bob Pearce continues to entertain music lovers in the South
St Denys’ Church, Dundee Rd, Southampton, invited the legendary Bob Pearce to perform in the 2nd of their 3 September concerts celebrating their 140th Anniversary. His performance, at this new up and coming venue, was spectacular, as he performed a selection of old and new gospel and blues songs, which had the 200 strong eclectic audience dancing in the aisles.
This Grade II listed building, considered by some, to acoustically be the best new live venue in the area, welcomed all ages to hear Bob test out the next stage of his music ministry. The audience heard songs from his new album ‘Making My Way Back Home’, playing the opening track ‘That Was Then This is Now’ together with old favourites such as ‘Johnny B Good’, which closed the hugely successful show.
Carol Bunday
Album review: Bob Pearce - Making My Way Back Home
Added: 31st October 2008
Bob Pearce is well back in harness now. This is his second CD since his return to the fray and it’s a corker. Inspirational music with swing and fire and a nice touch of Bob’s impossible to quench, feel for the blues. Seven of the eleven songs on the CD were written by Bob and one (‘Standing At The Door To Your Heart’) by Bob’s co-axeman Dave Taylor. The other tracks include a borrowing from the Irish Duo, The Strats (‘I Won’t Survive’) and a nice version of Lenny LeBlanc’s ‘None Like You’. Bob is supported here by some of Soton’s best, including Ray Drury (who does an outstand-ing job on various keyboards); Chris Collins on guitar and backing vocals; Steve Stares (bass) Brian Wright (dms), Paul Fronda (g), and Jane Young and Sharon Cambridge (bk v). A special accolade also goes to Martin White for some magical and excellent trombone licks on the opener ‘That Was Then This Is Now’. Real shades of New Orlins here.
This is top quality inspirational music and surely, before too long some of Bob’s super compositions will be picked up and covered. Fingers crossed.
In short an excellent and strongly recommended outing. Bob and his band deserve all the support they get.
IM - Blues In The South (September 2007)
Album review: Bob Pearce - Making My Way Back Home
Added: 31st October 2008
Bob Pearce, the south coast based singer and guitarist who recorded for the revitalised Blues Horizon label a couple of decades back, has given up the blues for the church, but he has just released 'Making MyWay Back Home' (Fuzzy Pig), his second album of devotional music and it certainly contains enough blues-related sounds to interest most readers. Bob sounds happy and contented and has no desire to return to his former life.
Blues Matters
Album review: Bob Pearce - Making My Way Back Home
Added: 31st October 2008
British bluesman Bob Pearce has been recording music now for 35 years, but it quickly becomes obvious that he's travelled a million miles from his 1974 debut 'Let's Get Drunk Again'! Seven of the 11 songs on offer here are penned by the man himself, who accompanies his vocals on guitar and harmonica, backed by a tight, rootsy band. It's gentle lazy blues with an occasional foray into the boogie sound of "Too Long Could Be Too Late". The songs are full of references to a life 'turned upside down" changed through faith and a call to his listeners to do the same as in "Standing at the door of your heart". Vocally there are hints of Dylan and Morrison in Bob's gruff delivery while both his evangelistic songs and his worship reworking of Lenny LeBlanc's "None Like You" work well. An artist well worth a listen.
Reviewed by Anthony Longville - Cross Rhythms (www.crossrhythms.co.uk)
Album review: Bob Pearce - Making My Way Back Home
Added: 31st October 2008
Bob Pearce is not about take up the Blues again - this set should put paid to that notion for good, even though the CD itself will appeal to many readers. Bob was for many years one of the prime movers in the Blues scene on England's south coast, considered by many to be on of Britain's finest Blues and soul singers, in addition to playing tasty harp and guitar - particularly slide. A few years ago he found the Lord and gave up the Blues. This is his second album of sacred music, and on the opening track, he states, to a New Orleans second line rhythm with a taligate trombone break, 'that was then, this is now'. Musically, blues and southern soul techniques permeate, but remember they came from the church in the first place. The sound is frequently sparse and Bob's instrumental breaks are short and to the point - fittingly, there is no ego-tripping here, just the sound of a man with no need of the blues now he has found peace with himself, praising the Lord and showing a lot of humanity in the process.
Norman Darwen - Finaland Blues News
Album review: Bob Pearce - Unchained
Added: 31st October 2008
Well, what a delight this is. Bob Pearce, former Soton blues man and erstwhile Ed of BITS, has produced his first album in seven years. Let’s make no bones about it, this is ‘inspirational’ music of the first order. With some beautiful - gentle - arrangements, Bob and his friends (too many to list, but including Ray Drury, Chris Collins, Arnie Cotrell, Colm Murphy and Steve Stares) provide some wonderful music in the Gospel genre. The songs - all beautifully sung by Bob - range from the traditional (‘Call Him Up’ and ‘Let Your Light Shine On Me’) , through songs by contemporary musicians (Clapton’s ‘Presence Of The Lord’, Spencer Bohren’s, ‘Wings Of An Angel’) to two songs penned by Bob ‘Come On In’ and ‘Just To Think’; the latter of which, given enough exposure could be come a gospel standard. Don’t think, by the way, that this is turgid, holier- than-thou music. Just listen to the swing of ‘Don’t Turn Round’, which features Bob’s super harp playing. This is really, really good stuff. More please!
IM - Blues In The South (August 2006)
Album review: Bob Pearce - Unchained
Added: 28th October 2009
Bob Pearce retired from the British blues scene a couple of years ago and is now making Christian albums. He brings with him a lot of experience in blues, country music and southern soul to make Christian music with a retro R&B sound. His aim is to make a statement about his faith.
The album is well produced and grows on you with each listen. The folksy treatment of Spencer Bohren's "Wings Of An Angel" and cover of the Clapton/Cream oldie "Presence Of The Lord" work well in this context. I even thought his version of "What Am I Living For" wasn't bad. But the one likely to make listeners cringe is the Christian rewriting of the Roy Hamilton/Righteous Brothers classic "Unchained Melody". It is a pity that Bob draws so much attention to this aberration with the title of the album. But apart from that one duffer track this is a pretty solid album by a road-tested musical journeyman.
Reviewed by Dancin' Dave Derbyshire - Cross Rhythms (www.crossrhythms.co.uk)
Album review: Bob Pearce - Unchained
Added: 31st October 2008
Bob Pearce 'retired until further notice' just over a couple of years ago. Some of you might recall the article on him in 'Blues Life', for conniosseurs of the British blues scene was for a long time a well-kept secret, one of the most soulful singers in the country with a wealth of blues knowledge and taste, and with the musical ability to carry it through.
This is not a 'comeback' album as such, rather a musical statement Bob wanted to make - it is a 'Christian' album - it could be filed under gospel, though it is not a gospel album per se. Helped along by many of the friends he has made over the years, Bob brings his forty plus years of musical experience to bear on this set, drawing on blues, gospel, country music, southern soul ( a particular forte of Bobs) a little swampy southern rock and Rhythm & Blues sounds of the fifties and sixties. There are a couple of neat inversions of the 'gospel to secular' formula - try the version of Chuck Willis's 'What Am I Living For', which is sacred more by context and implication, or the title track, based on 'Unchained Melody' of course. Spencer Bohren's 'Wings Of An Angel' has a folkly treatment, and there is a cover of Eric Clapton's 'Presence Of The Lord'; and the famous Bob Pearce harmonica even gets a quick blast!
Norman Darwen - Austrian Blues Journal
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