70 years after its initial recording, blues-rock artist Amani Burnham posted a video of himself playing Muddy Waters’ “Hoochie Coochie Man.” It was surreal to see a nineteen year old on Instagram wielding a white Fender Stratocaster with such dexterous ferocity & one-of-a-kind personality. In his hands, the Willie Dixon blues standard sounded sexy & dangerous again. At the time, Amani hadn’t been playing guitar for very long, and the post was simply a natural extension of his love for blues-rock. Yet his fluid soloing and electrifying showmanship captured the imagination of blues fans and seasoned professional musicians alike, inadvertently heralding the arrival of a new blues dynamo. On May 29th, he is stepping out from behind the screen with his debut album, ‘Roots & Wings’, coming soon on Blind Pig Records. The 12-track collection showcases Amani’s remarkable guitar work—played uniquely with his right-hand thumb rather than a pick—alongside soulful vocals and introspective songwriting. From the turbo-charged instrumental “Fastlane” to the deeply personal title track reflecting on his Ethiopian roots, the album crackles with groovy blues-rock riffs, cosmic solos, and stinging vibrato. Recorded at the renowned Carriage House Studios with a classic power-trio setup, Roots & Wings honors the legacy of blues-rock giants while heralding a bold new voice for a new generation. Since starting on social media in late 2023, Amani has amassed more than 240,000 followers and nearly 30 million cumulative views on TikTok, Instagram, & Facebook.
I had the chance to get a quick hang in with Amani to get a deeper sense of how this debut album, ‘Roots and Wings‘ went from ideas to just about being unleashed into the world. We talk about how some of the songs were originally writing when he was just a true kid but he sounds like a young man who feels the past as he helps shape the future of the blues. There is so much, as a listener, you will say you recognize…but its fresh and is like a perfectly fitting ballcap – just so right. We discuss the title track so people get a sense of a being who is grounded and we allow Amani to build a setlist for airplay one day y choosing one of this top to bottom fabulous album and adds a few tunes to it.
photo by: J.B. Lawrence
