Omar Coleman & Igor Prado – Old, New, Funky & Blue Review
Nola Blue Records | Released February 6, 2026
Chicago’s West Side meets São Paulo’s blues underground on one of the year’s most unexpected and satisfying collaborations. Omar Coleman, the Living Blues Most Outstanding Musician (harmonica) award winner, teams with Brazilian guitar virtuoso Igor Prado for eleven tracks that stretch the blues into funky, soulful territory. The album title tells you exactly what you’re getting. Old traditions merge with new approaches, funky grooves power the engine, and the blues remains the foundation throughout. Omar Coleman & Igor Prado really bring the heat on this album.
Coleman brings the grit and authority of Chicago’s West Side blues tradition, where he was raised hearing Tyrone Davis and Bobby Rush at his aunt’s lounge on Madison and Laramie. His powerful vocals and commanding harmonica work anchor the entire project. Prado, meanwhile, delivers scorching guitar that echoes Albert King and Albert Collins. Like both of those legends, the left-handed Prado plays a right-handed guitar upside down. His tone cuts through with vintage warmth while his phrasing stays contemporary and unpredictable.
The album opens with playful banter before launching into “I’m Leaving My No Good Woman.” Denilson Martins’s saxophone and Bruno Belasco’s trumpet immediately signal this won’t be standard 12-bar fare. The horn section evokes Memphis soul at its steamiest, specifically the Hi Records sound that Willie Mitchell perfected. Coleman and Prado wrote this opener together, and it sets the template for their collaboration. The groove matters as much as the blues credentials.
“I Only Have Love” follows with more horn-slathered soul courtesy of Edward E. Randle, Willie Mitchell’s main writer at Hi Records. Coleman’s vocals show their emotional range on this one, moving from tender to insistent as Prado’s guitar stings through the outro. The duo shifts into tougher territory with “Cut You Loose,” an original that showcases Prado’s ability to channel Albert King’s singing tone while keeping his own voice intact. Coleman delivers the kiss-off lyrics with conviction, declaring “I gave you everything, but you took it for granted.”
The funk quotient rises considerably on “Moving on to Better Days.” This high-energy original finds Omar Coleman catching his lover “red-handed” and turning his anger into a defiant, danceable groove. The horns stay in the mix, pushing the track toward Bobby Rush territory. “Answer Your Phone” opens with more studio banter, which some listeners might find unnecessary. However, once the track kicks in, Igor Prado delivers some of his most searing guitar work on the album, matching Albert Collins’s icy intensity while Coleman insists “Why don’t you answer your phone?”
Respite arrives with Syl Johnson’s ballad “I Let a Good Girl Go.” Coleman’s vocals reveal their full emotional depth here, confessing past mistakes with genuine remorse. The production wisely pulls back the horns and funk elements, letting the confession breathe. The mood shifts dramatically with “Brown Nosin’ Man,” a hand-clapped, snappy original that brings humor without losing bite.
“I Wanna Do the Do” takes the album straight to the dancefloor. This Leon Huff/Bobby Rush composition gets the full treatment with B3 organ, horns, and Coleman’s harmonica all fighting for space in the most satisfying way. Syl Johnson’s “Don’t Give It Away” follows with similar instrumentation, grinding with funk while Prado’s arching guitar lines add melodic counterpoint to the rhythm section’s insistence.
The album’s two closing tracks shift the focus. “Night Fishin'” brings a late-night vibe with smoky production and patient pacing. “Blue Line Train in Chicago” circles back to Coleman’s roots, acknowledging the Chicago Transit Authority line that runs through his West Side neighborhood. The track functions as both tribute and autobiography, Coleman’s harmonica echoing the train’s rhythm while his vocals paint pictures of the streets that shaped him.
Prado produced the album at his studio in São Caetano do Sul, just outside São Paulo. He mixed and mastered it with engineer Chico Blues. The production captures the room sound without losing definition. Drummer Yuri Prado (Igor’s brother) and bassist Ted Furtado anchor the rhythm section throughout. Igor handles bass duties himself on three tracks, demonstrating his versatility beyond the guitar. His backing vocals appear strategically, adding texture without competing with Coleman’s lead.
The album succeeds because neither artist compromises their identity. Coleman never sounds like he’s trying to be anything other than a West Side Chicago bluesman, even when the arrangements push into pure funk territory. Prado’s guitar work honors his influences while maintaining his own attack and tone. The Brazilian and Chicago traditions don’t clash. Instead, they find common ground in the funk and soul that both cities absorbed from the same American sources.
This collaboration marks another strong signing for Nola Blue Records, a label building a reputation for pairing unexpected artists and letting them explore beyond traditional blues boundaries. The album proves the blues continues to function as a universal language, crossing continents and cultures while staying rooted in its foundational truths. Coleman and Prado honor the old, embrace the new, serve up the funk, and never lose sight of the blues.
