 |
SPCD 1347
Genre: blues
Released: 24 August 2010
$ 20 CDN
|
Spread The Love
- Backstroke
- Blues For Dr. Donna
- Chitlins Con Carne
- Cristo Rendentor
- Happy
- Patience
- Miracle
- Spann's Grove
- Skyman
- Blues For Slim
- Tommy's Midnight Blues
- Eleventh Step To Heaven
- Ethan's Song
* free full length download *
- Blues For Bill
|
SPCD 1340
Genre: Blues
Released: 2 June 2009
$ 20 CDN
|
Living In The Light
- Love Love Love (8:47)
- S.O.S (9:04)
- Take A Little Walk With Me (7:34)
- River Charles Blues (5:46)
- What Can I Do For You (8:00)
- Recovery Blues (7:17)
- Blues For Fathead (3:40)
- Child Of A Survivor (9:28)
- Blues For The South Side (3:24)
- Ain't Nobody's Buisness (5:56)
- Donna Lee (5:30)
- Pastorale (3:47)
Reviews:
Toledo Blade
By T.H.
One of the more intensive, heartfelt blues albums released recently, this is a treasure deeply rooted in the soul and gospel. You'll get your soul nourished and come away with a little religion from this album, for sure.
|
SPDVD 1326
Genre: Blues
Released: 14 October 2008
$ 25 CDN
|
Hope Radio Sessions DVD
- Intro (1:30)
- Bobby's Bop (6:01)
- Blues For The Homeless (8:02)
- Eddie's Gospel Groove (5:20)
- I Am With You (8:13)
- Kay My Dear (6:44)
- New Gospel Tune (4:26)
- Blues for Otis Rush (9:58)
- Blues for the West Side (8:42)
- Lightnin' Hopkins Thing (4:33)
- Interview (10:58)
- I Shall Not Be Moved (2:15)
Note: This is a DVD disc, and will not work in a CD player.
Reviews:
The Alternate Root
By Reb Landers
With backing band The Broadcasters in tow, Earl moves through the ‘Hope Radio’ repertoire with spellbinding grace and ease even adding alternate arrangements to the set list. The intimacy of the small gathering allows Earl to shine and shine he does.
(more)
When Ronnie Earl released ‘Hope Radio’ in 2007 little did we know that plans were in the works for those songs to subsequently be filmed at Wellspring Sound in Acton, MA before a small (and very fortunate) private audience over two nights in April 2007. The resulting ‘Hope Radio Sessions’ DVD, released in mid October brings us closer to the magic that was released during those two nights. With backing band The Broadcasters in tow, Earl moves through the ‘Hope Radio’ repertoire with spellbinding grace and ease even adding alternate arrangements to the set list. The intimacy of the small gathering allows Earl to shine and shine he does. When Ronnie Earl interacts with his audience the two-time, (only two?), W.C. Handy Award winner for ‘Guitarist of the Year’ is in his element and his playing communicates to his audience the soulful mastery of his chosen instrument.
The set opens with a minute and a half of Earl running through his warm-up. Like a world class athlete that’s warming up before a big performance…you know what’s coming is going to be special. You can tell by the look on his face and the attentiveness of the audience who seem aware that they have been plucked from a legion of fans to bear witness to the moment.
Night one continues with a musical journey through a myriad of styles that Earl has mastered. The jazz overtones of ‘Bobby’s Bop,’ reminiscent of the west coast swing of Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith, highlight the interplay between Earl and keyboardist Dave Limina. Earl touches on subjects dear to his heart as in ‘Blues for the Homeless’ which finds him at his most soulful bluesy moment on night one. Earl beckons the audience to stand and be healed on ‘Eddies Gospel Groove’ another foray into Earl’s unique blend of traditional gospel and blues styles. ‘I Am With You’ and ‘Kay My Dear’ are tone rich blues numbers that reinforce the acclaim of Ronnie Earl as one of his generations most gifted players. It’s not all about speed with Ronnie Earl although he could possibly shred with the best of the over-playing-speed-demons that tend to muck the blues waters from time to time. No, with Ronnie Earl it’s about tone, soul and making every note seem as though it’s a piece in a complex puzzle assembled within the imagination of the listener. The first night closes with another jazz infused spiritual journey, the beautiful ‘New Gospel Tune’. It is here that the juxtaposition of Limina’s brilliant piano playing against Earl’s mesmerizing guitar is most assuredly the musical highlight of the evening.
Night two begins with the addition of guitarist Nick Adams as Earl pays homage to his predecessor, the great Otis Rush. Adams and Earl are a tour de force on ‘Blues for Otis Rush’ ripping through a series of leads that left me speechless. ‘Blues for the West Side’ is once again a lesson in tone as a replacement for speed. Each note Earl plays is a word in his composition and when he converses with his audience in such a manner every eye and every ear are glued to him. The live portion switched to ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins
(less)
|
SPCD 1324
Genre: Blues
Released: 30 October 2007
$ 20 CDN
|
Hope Radio
- Eddie's Gospel Groove (5:07)
- Bobby's Bop (5:55)
- Blues For The West Side (8:48)
- I Am With You (8:15)
- Katrina Blues (3:35)
- Wolf Dance (8:07)
- Kay My Dear (6:39)
- Blues For The Homeless (8:32)
- Beautiful Child (8:45)
- Blues For Otis Rush (9:52)
- New Gospel Tune (4:40)
Reviews:
Penguin Eggs - Spring 2008
By Eric Thom
A front runner for this year's Top 10 list, Ronnie Earl has crafted one his best albums ever in Hope Radio. You'll not find a better way to spend 78 minutes. Promise.
(more)
A front runner for this year's Top 10 list, Ronnie Earl has crafted one his best albums ever in Hope Radio. Concentrating on his strengths, this is pure instrumental blues, informed by Earl's passion for jazz and fuelled, emotionally, by a release from his troubled past.
Live, the credit for the success of this record must be split with Dave Limina, whose prowess on piano and B3 organ is stupefying, allowing Earl those precious nanoseconds to execute every note with newfound passion, absolute confidence and razor-sharp precision.
Earl's tone rules the day across 11 seamless originals but exceptional inroads are made with Blues for the West Side, an 11-minute opus that wrenches your gut with its soulful range and sheer majesty. Wolf Dance pays an upbeat tribute to Hubert Sumlin, while Kay My Dear - another deliciously languorous assault - demonstrates the subtle power of a taut rhythm section that always knows when to rise or fall between Earl's spirited takeoffs. Blues for Otis Rush, likewise, serves up a 10-minute slow burn of endless gratitude that commands your total attention. You'll not find a better way to spend 78 minutes. Promise.
(less)
|
SPCD 1303
Genre: Blues
Released: 8 March 2005
$ 20 CDN
|
The Duke Meets The Earl
- West Side Shuffle (7:43)
- Two Bones & A Pick (8:06)
- My Tears (15:53)
- Looking For Trouble (6:42)
- What Have I Done Wrong (6:42)
- Zeb's Thing (7:27)
- I Need You So Bad (8:14)
- A Soul That's Been Abused (13:05)
|
SPCD 1298
Genre: Blues
Released: 1 June 2004
$ 20 CDN
|
Now My Soul
- Blues For J (7:10)
- Double Trouble (10:40) Featuring Kim Wilson
- Feel Like Goin On (6:40)
- Abandoned (7:16) Featuring Kim Wilson
- Walkin On The Sea (6:25)
- Black & White (5:59) Featuring Kim Wilson
- Kay My Dear (8:49)
- Maxwell, Mudcat, and Per (4:58)
- My Buddy Buddy Friends (3:43) Featuring Kim Wilson
- Walter Through Kim (5:09)
- #7 (5:49)
- The Magic Of Sam (3:50)
|
SPCD 1289
Genre: Blues
$ 20 CDN
Release Sheet |
I Feel Like Goin' On
- Hey Jose (5:12)
- Blues For Otis Rush (8:29)
- Little Johnny Lee (6:33)
- Wolf Dance (6:23)
- Mary Don't You Weep (6:46)
- Howlin' For My Darlin' (7:44)
- Blues For The Homeless (11:21)
- Big Walter (5:35)
- Alone With The Blues (4:26)
- Travelin' Heavy (4:48)
- Donna (7:21)
|
|
|
|
RONNIE EARL: Living in the Light
This guitarist creates his most intense, emotional and passionate album to
date
It’s a simple question we ask of each other every day: “How are you?” And
when Ronnie Earl answers “Fine, really fine,” it’s an indication that all is
well with his world, and it means that our lives are greatly improved as well.
In standard music industry terms, Ronnie Earl is a bright and shining anomaly.
He doesn’t tour, he doesn’t show up on David Letterman, he doesn’t play at rock
festivals, he rarely gives interviews, and he isn’t the slightest bit interested
in what Joni Mitchell called “the star-making machinery.”
But he does make some
remarkable, memorable and deeply touching recordings, and a wonderfully intimate
DVD. And to underscore that point, Ronnie Earl has created Living in the
Light, his fifth CD for Stony Plain the international roots music label
based in Edmonton, Alberta. Like his other albums, Living in the Light is
a varied mix of blues, soul and gospel, all marked by his distinctive guitar
style and the passionate conviction he brings to every track.
It is also,
perhaps in a contrary way, a record shot through with love, warmth and very real
peace.
A brief history
Ronnie Earl, now in his mid-50s, has been part of
the music scene for many years. Deeply inspired by Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker
and Otis Rush, he started to play guitar in the mid-70s. He left the first major
group he worked with in 1988, and moved on to build a solo career with his own
band, The Broadcasters. Along the way, he went on to tour the world with
Santana, sometimes playing for audiences of as many as 40,000 people.
Recent
years, however, found his career sidelined by a variety of health problems,
which are thankfully, today, under control. When he says he’s feeling fine, he
is, thanks, but the idea of touring again is as far from his mind as it can be.
“I did that for more than 25 years,” he says, “and nothing is better than one’s
own home and one’s own family and friends. It makes me feel grounded. I have a
wonderful wife, I’m close to our church, I live in the country and I want to be
in my own home, every day.” Living in the Light
In today’s supercharged
and often cynical world, Earl’s attitude to his life, and the way he wants to
reach his listeners, may strike some as unusual, but it’s the nature of the man.
“I see my music as a way to have a deeper relationship with God, and bring
healing and love to the people who listen to it.”
Ronnie Earl’s searing, deeply
felt guitar playing permeates every one of the dozen tracks on Living in the
Light, but there are many other surprises and deep pleasures to be found. Nine
of the dozen songs are originals, written or co-written by Earl.
Dave Keller, a
singer and guitar player on the New England blues scene, sings two
gospel-influenced songs – the powerful opener, “Love Love Love,” and Bob Dylan’s
“What Can I Do for You,” which also features a 10-voice choir from Earl’s
Baptist Church.
Kim Wilson, a dear friend, contributes three moving vocals and
superbly realized harp parts to the new record. One of them is Robert Jr.
Lockwood’s classic “Take a Little Walk with Me;” another is a deeply personal
song about the Holocaust, “Child of a Survivor.”
“I’m Jewish, and my parents
were survivors, and I never met my grandmother who was killed during the war. I
wrote that song with Debbie Blanchard, my minister, and Kim Wilson put his stamp
on it. Unusual for a blues record? “It’s the deepest blues,” he responds. “It’s
a story that needs to be told; future generations will all need to be reminded
of what happened.”
Wilson’s third vocal is another song written by Ronnie and
the Rev. Blanchard — and it is an open, frank, and personal song about Donna
Lee, his wife. “It’s not the first song I’ve written for her; this is my way of
thanking her for saving my life, and it’s a country blues. She did indeed heal a river full of tears.”
The contribution of Ronnie Earl’s Broadcasters is obvious from the first note.
Dave Limina’s sterling work on Hammond B3 and piano provides a bedrock for the guitar
playing, while drummer Lorne Entress and Jim Mouradian on bass are as solid and
uplifting a rhythm section as can be imagined.
How the blues touches souls
Ronnie Earl is a thoughtful, gentle man — not always the signature attitude of many
blues artists — and it is simply not in him to want to sound either arrogant or glib.
“My greatest love in music is the blues; this is my ‘mother music.’ And I dig deep
— I have no choice; playing, for me, is a very emotional experience. I put every particle
of my soul into it.
“I do play live around my home base in Massachusetts, but I reach my wider
audiences through my records, and a DVD that Stony Plain released — I’d like to do
another live DVD soon, with a larger audience.”
He is not interested in guitar technicalities; he plays Stratocasters and Nash
guitars, but always says that the person behind the guitars should always be of more
interest than the instrument itself.
As for defining his style, he can’t. “I’m just trying to get into peoples’ souls,” he
says. “I’m just trying to reach peoples’ humanity.”
With his new record for Stony Plain, Living in the Light, he has done exactly that.
|
|
|
|
empty
Add to Shopping Cart ($20 CDN)