WHAT THEY SAID...

...about “Hot 'n Spicy”
“Everyone in this band plays like he's having fun, and it's great that you can hear it in the tracks. ...I continue to be impressed with the overall musicianship of the band, both the lead players and the rhythm section. In summary—I think you guys are very good musicians with a lot of versatility and abilities to play in a lot of styles very well. As an overall ensemble, quite impressive.
-Bruce Iglauer
Alligator Records & Artist Management

...about “Hot 'n Spicy”
...they show themselves as a convincing skillful band with a smooth mature sound. Gifted with an impressive swing in every song included on the cd, their musical arrangements are on a par with the best bands of that musical style. An hour of pure New Orleans rhythm and blues spiced with the most original West Coast blues and jump. A cd that deserves audiences consideration and full respect. GREAT!
-Vicente Zumel
"La Hora del Blues”
Barcelona, Spain

...about “Hot 'n Spicy”
"On "HOT 'N SPICY", RED BEANS & RICE open the disc dishing out a tasty cover of a Taj Mahal favorite - "STRUT". Everything about this number impressed me - their adaptation and presentation is masterful. The vocals are splendid, the rhythm - with all it's got going on - is awesome, the guitar work is sharp and the organ and horns just blew me away. I'm sure it's happened before, but I can't recall the last time I was this impressed with my first listen to a new band.
-Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro
Blewzzman's Blues CD Reviews

...about “Hot 'n Spicy”
“If you're expecting just the blues from this 14-years-and-running band, you've got a surprise coming. Of the 13 tracks on the new CD, there's a hot dash of New Orleans Zydeco, R&B and Swamp Boogie...throughout the whole album the band plays with a confidence and skill that shows what hardy veterans they are.
-Mac MacDonald
Monterey County Herald “GO”

...about “Homework”
“Good song, (A Good Love) with clearly defined chorus and vocal melody. Nice harp too. I liked this quite a lot. Tasteful guitar solo too.” “They play really well in a refreshingly non blues-rock way. They have good dynamics, always show good taste. Thanks for sharing the music; I really enjoyed it.”
-Bruce Iglauer
Alligator Records & Artist Management

...about “Homework”
“Homework is a tight, tasty little record, beautifully produced in shades of classic blue”... “Rubio pens fine tunes like the grinding ‘No Meat On Your Bones’ that hold up nicely next to standards like the title track.”
-Jeff Calvin
Blues Revue Magazine

...about “Homework”“
This band, Red Beans & Rice, is a band to be heard, and seen, if possible. They all know how to put together a CD that is highly entertaining with its variable moods. The top-notch musicians in this group produce some energy and soul that is not to be missed, and they give an hour of musical satisfaction!”
-Maria Bainer
International Blues Journalist

...about “Homework”
“The sound on ‘Homework’ is assured, relaxed and swinging,”...“In fact, Rubio’s ironically titled ‘A Good Love’, is one of the best blues songs I’ve heard in quite a while,...and harpist/vocalist Terrence Kelly really sells the song with an almost defiant, world-weary performance on both vocals and blues harp.”
-Mac MacDonald
Monterey County Herald “GO”

...about “Homework” ( A Good Love)
“It’s a song that can represent some of what’s best about the blues genre: Music that flows almost unfiltered from the soul carrying the sound of a personal pain that can be almost universally recognized and felt.”
-Chuck Thurman
Monterey County Coast Weekly

...about “Homework”
“The band’s sound is diverse and covers a variety of blues subgenres:Texas swing and Chicago- and Louisiana-style blues. In an era of guitar-heavy blues, Red Beans & Rice with its harmonica-heavy, swinging blues interpretation, is a toe-tapping departure from what one would expect from a blues band.”
-J. Michael Rivera
Salinas Californian

...about “Can’t Get Enough”
“This is a good, solid, swinging blues band that plays a lot of different kinds of material with taste and sometimes elegance too...All in all, this is a superior band.”
-Bruce Iglauer
Alligator Records & Artist Management

...about “Can’t Get Enough”
“This California sextet has a tight ensemble sound and an eclectic, open-ended approach, with lyrics sparkled with contemporary good humor.”
-Blues Access Fall 1998

...about “Nothin’ But The Blues”
“Listening to this first effort convinces me that this band had a momentum from the start, and that in the years ahead, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this fine group of bluesmen attaining a national level profile. As it is, they deserve to be referred to as Bluesmen, which is no small thing.”
-Al Handa
Delta Snake Blues Publisher