From his beginnings in Roomful of Blues through various incarnations as a bandleader­–never mind an unparalleled resume of projects as sideman or producer that would be enviable, even legendary, on its own–Duke Robillard has set and exceeded the highest standards of taste, tone, and style. It seems that Robillard has been on a hot (or, more accurately, a hotter) streak of late, with a jumping brace of blues albums in Stomp! The Blues Tonight and Low Down and Tore Up; a jazzy trio project, Wobble Walking; exciting production work for Sunny Crownover, Joe Louis Walker, and others; and an upcoming tour as part of Bob Dylan’s band.

His latest album extends that run of successes. Augmenting his rhythm section (Bruce Bears, keyboards; Brad Hallen, bass; Mark Teixeira, drums–a trio that seems as telepathically linked as it is stylistically unlimited) is guest guitarist Monster Mike Welch, a fellow New Englander who regularly gigs as one of Sugar Ray Norcia’s Bluetones–that is, when he is not recording albums as a front man (I count five or six to date). Robillard maneuvers this superb and sympathetic cast through and around a dizzying scope of blues, jazz, and roots music on Independently Blue.

The album opens with two of three compositions penned by Robillard’s former Roomful bandmate, Al Basile. “I Wouldn’t-a Done That” is a swaggering shuffle with a pair of snarling, tangled-in-barbed-wire solos. Believe it or not, the tune modulates into different keys at least twice, an exceedingly rare move in the blues that makes for a very cool and compelling structure. “Below Zero” is a bluesy, moderately paced rocker that rides out on a duel between Duke’s bright single-note lines and Monster Mike’s bassy, fuzzed-out licks.

This friendly competition continues in the next track, Welch’s hard-hitting instrumental “Stapled To The Chicken’s Back,’” a Texas-flavored shuffle that arrives loaded with impressive guitar breaks. Chicken-picked single notes and double-stops practically pop out of the speaker during Duke’s solo, which slips easily between blues, country, and jazz feels. Welch’s darker-toned choruses are slinkier and recall the no-prisoners attack and idiosyncratic phrasing of Albert Collins. Duke picks up on this biting approach and returns it during the thrilling back-and-forth exchange that follows the individual solos.

A bouncing roots-rocker, “Laurene” expresses Duke’s devotion to Mrs Robillard, and sports a pair of distinctive rhythm guitar approaches as well as two wickedly pointed, Chuck Berry-inspired solos. It sounds like Howlin’ Wolf’s “Evil” provided the inspiration for the arrangement behind Basile’s “I’m Still Laughing.” The trebly lead guitar part is laden with a menacingly heavy vibrato. Welch’s “This Man, This Monster” begins as a laid-back, jazzy after-hours stroll, which escalates as more pointed, bluesier tones and lines overshadow the mellow mood, then develops a languid, almost Hawaiian feel: What an incredible ride in five minutes’ time!

Several sides of the extended range of Robillard’s imagination are on display. “Groovin’ Slow” rides a Southern soul groove reminiscent of “Ode To Billie Joe.” The relaxed but deeply funky middle solo seems perfect for this sort of Muscle Shoals feel, as do the jazzier leads in the outro. “You Won’t Ever” is a different kind of animal, opening with a Latin-inflected trumpet line over a minor key lope before moving into something I think of as Love Boat soul: a little like an arrangement from Willie Mitchell’s Royal studio in Memphis, with pop accents in the vocal melody, and a fleet, George Benson-esque guitar ride out.

The band reaches back to the 1920s with a cover of Red Allen’s “Patrol Wagon.” Doug Woolverton’s trumpet and Billy Novick’s clarinet snake around each other, evoking the feel of vintage jazz records, while Duke waits until the song’s end to uncoil an extended solo that’s mellow but swinging, and oh-so-finely syncopated. Robillard’s bluesy yet unique “Moongate” serves as the album’s centerpiece, midway through the program. A hip arrangement and canny production ideas, like balancing one tremoloed guitar against another, far-off and heavily reverbed–and layering others atop that instrumental bed–lend an ethereal, evocative air, in keeping with its lyric about a Chinese garden, to the track, which would seem out of place either leading off or closing the album, yet is sublime where it sits.

Still, the heart of every Duke Robillard project is the blues, and here the best comes last, in “If This Is Love,” a hard-hitting number based loosely on Otis Rush’s “Right Place, Wrong Time.” Robillard’s lyric and singing are impressively strong, and Welch absolutely kills it with a stunning lead guitar part, marked by angular phrasing, cutting bends, and a disconcertingly aggressive attack. Go to the head of the class, son! It marks a fitting close to the latest Duke Robillard Band long-player. Savvy music fans have long recognized Duke Robillard as the go-to guy for inventive and pitch-perfect playing in virtually every blues-based style of American music, and Independently Blue demonstrates again his mastery as bandleader and producer, his excellence as a performer, and his stature as a visionary creator of American music.

(less)

Guitar Week continues: Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters' Just for Today more like one for the ages

(less)

 

LIVING BLUES – FEBRUARY, 2013

 

CD REVIEWS

 

HABIB KOITÉ AND ERIC BIBB

Brothers in Bamako

Stony Plain Records - SPCD 1362

On his highly successful Deeper in the Well (2012), songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Eric Bibb found musical inspiration down south in the bayous and Cajun country of Louisiana. On his latest release, Brothers in Bamako, Bibb turned east to Africa and combined forces with noted Malian musician Habib Koité. According to the disc’s liner notes, Bibb and Koité met a decade ago during the recording of Mali to Memphis. The two developed a friendship and Bibb recently decided to travel to Bamako, the capital of Mali, to record 13 songs with his new musical partner. The results are impressive. Brothers in Bamako is worthy of a Grammy nomination.

Brothers in Bamako is a real partnership. Bibb and Koité contribute individual songs and collaborate on four songs including Touma Ni Kelen/Needed Time and Tombouctou. Koité and Bibb stretch out on a variety of stringed instruments, including acoustic and electric guitars, banjos, and an assortment of ukuleles. They are accompanied by Mamadou Kone on percussion with cameo appearances by Kafoune (backing vocals) and Olli Haavisto (pedal steel guitar). This partnership has created music that truly transcends any individual influence, whether it be blues, folk, gospel, or West African/Malian.

Brothers in Bamako begins with a travel tale, the lilting On My Way to Bamako. Calling Koité a “good friend” and a “great musician,” Bibb sings of his impending visit: “It’s my first trip to West Africa / But I’m pretty sure / In some kinda way / It’s gonna feel like comin’ home.” The song really feels like the two are at home, and it previews the disc’s beautiful musical synchronicity. Listen to every track, especially On My Way to Bamako, Touma Ni Kelen/Needed Time, Nani Le, Foro Bana, and Mami Wata, and hear the two musicians weaving their individual musical parts together in the spirit of genuine collaboration. Because Koité and Bibb play essentially the same instruments, it is difficult to determine who is playing what on Brothers in Bamako, but perhaps this is by design.  Brothers in Bamako is not about separation, but interdependence and unification. The four songs the two wrote and composed together find Koité and Bibb trading verses (one sung in English, the other in French, the official language of Mali). Bibb and Koité also wrap their voices around each other, and when these moments appear, especially on Khafolé, it’s as if the two are singing with one voice.

Beyond the exquisite musical interplay that permeates every track, Bibb and Koité are social critics, casting a skeptical eye on a seemingly unfair and unjust world. Given the recent eruption of violence in Mali, it’s not surprising to find Send Us Brighter Days, a cautiously optimistic song that calls for “brighter days” and “blues skies” to heal a world “so sad.” Socio-political commentary can also be found in With My Maker I Am One and We Don’t Care. The latter comments about the disconnect between labor and consumption: “We want the gold / As long as we don’t have to mine it / Don’t care who suffers / Or who’s behind it.” Other songs, including Khafolé, do not include English translations, but it is safe to assume that the lyrics are not throwaways—the words have some story to tell. Similar to Deeper in the Well, Bibb includes a Dylan song and this time it’s Blowin’ in the Wind. Commenting on both human rights and war, Blowin’ in the Wind is a perfect choice.

This cross-cultural experiment could have been a disaster, but it wasn’t. In the disc’s liner notes, Etienne Bours traces the intriguing musical similarities between Bibb and Koité and makes an argument for why Brothers in Bamako sounds so right: “What could be more natural than for this Malian and African American to join the rhythms of their guitars and voices in some transatlantic blues?” Brothers in Bamako’s “transatlantic blues” sounds natural and it sounds right. Although divided by geography and culture, Bibb and Koité share a beautiful brotherhood of sounds and words.

—Stephen A. King

 

 

(less)

First Came Memphis Minnie
Maria Muldaur & Special Guests
Stony Plain Records, Canada
2012

This tribute compilation to Memphis Minnie is, in some ways, a form of musical emancipation of all women. The blues are undeniably a very male dominated genre. A case can be made that the great pioneer female blues singers never received their rightful place in the blues annals as bestowed on their male peers. Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Sippie Wallace, Victoria Spivey, Lucille Bogan, Albert Hunter, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Big Mama Thornton, Big Maybelle, and even Billie Holiday, were well acknowledged but not always respected and honored in the same way their male compatriots received acclaim – some of whom were exalted and venerated to great, sometimes exaggerated heights. A case can be made that in blues radio, print and performance, the female singers unfairly took a diminished, minor role. In several decades of interviewing blues musicians and reading blues biographies, this writer cannot think of a single instance when a male blues musician has cited one of the great female singers as a major influence on their musical development. No wonder that it has been the mission of today’s leading blues women to give recognition and awareness to the women who proceeded them – because these trailblazing classic women should be listened to. The women rightly insist on some respect and honor for their musical inspirations. In 2003, they already paid tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe on “Shout, Sister, Shout” and now it’s time for the tribute of the musician who has been championed by Maria Muldaur for so many years, someone she has loved since 1963, the one she most often quotes as a major source of inspiration and the musician she has covered most often. Maria Muldaur called out some of her female blues compatriots to take matters into their own capable hands, and voila, here is a fine tribute done with love and admiration.

Let’s start by overcoming the likely objections: A fair number of the tunes included on “First Came Memphis Minnie” were previously released. Indeed, all eight tracks featuring Maria Muldaur came from her previously-released Grammy-nominated albums. Only three of the songs on this album are new recordings by Rory Block, Ruthie Foster and Bonnie Raitt. “First Came Memphis Minnie” also features two classic songs from Koko Taylor and Phoebe Snow. Koko’s track comes from her CD, “Old School”, released in 2007; and Phoebe’s from “It Looks Like Snow”, released in 1976.

That means, if you already own the albums from which Maria took these reissues, you may just want to get the new tracks from i-Tunes and not pay for the whole new CD.

On the other hand, chances are that most people do not have all or most of these songs, so this compilation becomes a convenience. That having been said, the fact that this “loving tribute” is heavy on reissues is far surpassed by the many wonderful aspects of the album.

Maria Muldaur said of her idol, “At a time when women were ‘kept in their place,’ both personally and professionally, Memphis Minnie was tough, independent, outspoken, and played a mean guitar! But, she was more than just a guitar hero of early country blues. She ably adapted to newer trends and modernized her style, which helped account for her years of popularity. Memphis Minnie was one of the few figures to make the successful transition from the rural, acoustic guitar-dominated blues of the 1920s to the urban nightclub styles of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. She was tough, determined, talented, and courageous enough to defy and overcome all the racial, social, economic, and gender barriers that existed in her time, forging the life she envisioned for herself on nothing but her own terms!”

That may well be an overly romanticized description of Minnie’s life and career as some sort of feminist icon, which certainly was not the whole picture, as Minnie (whose birth name was Lizzie Douglas) did not walk an easy road as some sort of superwoman heroine. While she was a successful blues artist in her time, she nonetheless had a hard life that included running away from home as a 13 year old kid and making her way on bawdry Beale Street in Memphis in the turbulent year of 1900, which was, at the time, one of the wildest black entertainment districts in the USA. Besides playing guitar and singing on the street corners, she slipped into prostitution. She was married three times. All indicators are that she fared a bit better in her musical career than most women of her time (or most blues musicians, period) she nonetheless lived a tough life that was not free of exploitation and abuse. Unquestionably, Memphis Minnie was a gutsy woman, a bit wild and headstrong, with all her raw sensuality and sexy juke joint teasing. Mostly, she was a powerful singer and songwriter, an incredible guitarist and a huge influence on all women in the blues who followed her footsteps. She was also a pioneer as one of the first women to bring the electric guitar into her performances.

This album showcases not just some of the great songs written or performed by Memphis Minnie, it brings these songs to life with passion and truehearted love for this great singer. The protagonists honor their lascivious and headstrong heroine with graceful versions of the original. Maria Muldaur’s ardent eight covers are exquisitely performed with sheer devotion. Her love for Memphis Minnie comes through unencumbered, as perhaps Minnie’s greatest fan and advocate. The set of Minnie’s songs as performed by Maria Muldaur is backed by some of the finest instrumentalists in the acoustic blues: Alvin Youngblood Hart, Del Rey, and Steve James on guitar and slide guitar; Dave Earl and Steve James on mandolin

Bonnie Raitt has only one song on this album, “Ain’t Nothin’ but Rambling” which will drive Bonnie’s large fan base wild. Steve Freund accompanies her on acoustic guitar with tasteful subtlety as she takes you back to Bonnie’s early days as an acoustic country blues singer, and this wonderful cover alone make it worth to buy the album. Rory Block showcases her refined skills, mimicking Memphis Minnie’s sexy charm, on “I’m going back home” which she sings in her sultry, captivating way, accompanying herself superbly on guitar. The late Phoebe Snow’s version of “In my Girlish Ways” , backed by David Bromberg, reminds us what a wonderful blues singer we lost. Her captivating rendition of the famed song, so often performed by Maria Muldaur, is sung in her trademark sweet and angelic voice, perfectly and pointedly. Ruthie Foster’s version of “Keep Your Big Mouth Closed”, also with Steve Freund on acoustic guitar is simply wonderful, a testament to Ruthie’s status as one of today’s most important blues women.

The late Koko Taylor, one of the true heir to Minnie’s legacy closes the album with “Black Rat Swing” backed by a full electric blues band featuring Muddy Water’s guitarist Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin on guitar.

(less)

Unbelievably, Ian Tyson, is running up fast on 80 years of age, but he sure as hell doesn't look it in the liner shot for Raven Singer, nor is the guy exactly slowing down. In the last dozen years, he issued four CDs, a 2-DVD concert, an autobiography, collaborated on a book about he and Sylvia, and made an award winning music documentary for Canada's Bravo! TV channel…and all that, of course, doesn't even begin to cover the toughest job and his first love: training horses in the southern Albertan ranch country. The second toughest gig, long-time fans well know, was recovering from severe throat damage after trying to make up for a failing sound system in 2006 (while he was in his 70s!!!), the incident which occasioned that now familiar gravelly hoarse sprechestimme style, which audiences have taken to with ardor.

This CD, then, follows expectedly in the new groove but shows that Tyson is as much an elder statesman of folk music north of the Montana line as Bob Dylan is south of it. In his homeland, Ian's considered an unshakeable icon, and, as he's become accustomed to this new mode of expression, the stories in his songs have become more poignant, crossing the border between Dylan and Cohen. The abundant imagery is always of open skies and lands tread by working class men and women, people of the earth who get far more out of life than those locked away in gated communities and penthouse suites. That special grace, however, does not exempt them from travail, and Tyson's not shy about his admonitions to watch one's step, not fall afoul of the many heartbreaks lying in wait for the heedless.

Ian Tyson is, if anything, travelling ever further back in time, digging deep to locate the taproots. More than once, I was reminded of the soul of the famed Bristol Sessions with The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, the 1927 Tennessee recordings Johnny Cash named as "the most important event in the history of country music." There's that same salt of the earth quality in Raven, Tyson settling into an ambience too often lost as the modern strains of the new country mode compete with rock and roll. In a basic quartet ensemble, with four guests sitting in on various tracks, Sam Bush among 'em, he and the band manage to wring the most possible out of the form, avoiding excess and too-dialed-back a simplicity simultaneously, reflecting the point at which the still struggling genre was on a first name basis with folk music. Tyson may be going on his 80s, but he hasn't forgotten his 20s. Not at all.

(less)

Rory Block, considered to be the foremost female authority on playing pre-WWII country blues, has just released her latest CD in her "mentor series," tributes to those from whom she learned first-hand, as well as those who influenced her style. This one is entitled "I Belong To The Band," and features Rory on lead vocal and all guitars in tribute to the Rev. Gary Davis.

While living in New York in 1964, Rory and Stefan Grossman would take the long subway ride into the Bronx to take guitar lessons with Rev. Davis, one-on-one, in his home. Rory learned her lessons well, as can be heard on her authentic interpretations of Rev. Davis' many classic tunes.

For those unfamiliar with Rev. Davis' music, he was a brilliant guitarist who employed dazzling finger-picking and slide techniques, with unique syncopations within the melody lines. In the liner notes, Rory laments her difficulty in getting the finger picks to stay in place, finally opting for the use of duct tape to keep them on, at the painful expense of her first layer of skin!

However, she plays these songs with unbridled passion and emotion. Listen as she runs thru the changes of "Samson And Delilah" with ease. The title cut finds Rory on slide and the gospel-infused backing voices lending the "Hallelujah" chorus. She becomes a modern-day Biblical storyteller in "Great Changes Since I Been Born," and "Twelve Gates To The City." The set closes with the chilling "Death Don't Have No Mercy," and the poignant lyrics that remind us "when Death comes to your house, it won't stay long," but "someone in your family will be gone."

Rev. Gary Davis took predominantly spiritual music and played it in a country-blues style, successfully melding the secular with "the Devil's music." Rory Block has shown us the deep respect she has for his music, and the difficulty that went along with mastering his styles and techniques. "I Belong To The Band" is one of her crowning achievements!

(less)

With Deeper In The Well, Eric Bibb has delivered a pleasant and entertaining collection of material that cuts across artificial boundaries of style or genre. This is Americana music, period, in all of its eclectic glory and all that it encompasses – blues, folk, and country sounds that have their roots in the big cities and the rural back roads of the country. Whether he's bringing his immense musical talents to bear on intelligent original songs, interpreting traditional material, or even tackling a scribe as daunting as Dylan, Bibb never fails to amaze. An underrated singer, songwriter, and guitarist with one foot in the blues and the other in a world of music, Bibb has delivered another gem with Deeper In The Well. (less)

Strangers to the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene first heard Maria Muldaur's captivating and playful voice on th epop hit, "Midnight At The Oasis," followed by the anthemic, "I'm A Woman." Since Then, much has been added to Muldaur's discography and performing history in blues, jazz, gospel, and folk than this review can possibly hold.

As a teen, Muldaur started out recording regional roots musicians with the Friends of Old Timey Music. She soon became a major presence in the Village folk scene with pals including John Sebastian, Paul Butterfield, and ex-husband Jeff Muldaur, with whom she performed in the Jim Kweskin and Even Dozen jug bands. The two albums she recorded with Muldaur - Pottery Pie and Sweet Potatoes - remain cult classics.

After nearly 50 years, it's fair to say that Ms. Muldaur has become beloved by fans who have followed her sideways journey through American music. Consistently, she has chosen the material best suited to her voice and singing style. She also chooses to work with talented peers who share her vision of American roots music.

Her current release, Steady Love, was recorded in New Orleans and exemplifies her soulful reinvention within traditions she has always loved - blues, jazz, folk, pop, spirituals. The 13-track CD features some of the best Fat City musicians including Shane Theriot on guitar, keyboardist Dave Torkanowsky, bassist Johnny Allen, and drummer Kenny Blevins.

Gospel highlights are the classic, "As An Eagle Stirreth In Her Nest," along with Eric Bibb's "Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down." Very moving is the album's slide guitarist Rick Vito's "I Am Not Alone." Her blues and R&B tracks are well chosen and superbly performed. Her take on Sugar Pie DeSanto's "Soulful Dress" is enjoyable as much for th eperformance as for th fact that Muldaur chose to honor a lesser-klnown blues/R&B performer who deserves the spotlight.

Her soulful voice has probably dropped an octave since the Sixties, but it's gotten grittier and darker and more nuanced. In some ways, Muldaur displays similarities to Mavis Staples, who likewise shared the folk scene, and who's got the same soulful blues/gospel delivery and stage presence.

(less)

Wow! On my first listen (and my opinion has never changed on repeated listens), this is the Duke Robillard I experienced in 1984 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, at B.C.B.S. R&B Picnic sitting with Billy Blough (aka Dr. Martini) of George Thorogood's band. We were in thralled, if that includes drinkin' all day. Although at that time I believe it was a three-piece power trio that had energy out the ass.

Well, this isn't a trio but it has the same ass-kickin' energy, with the addition of long-time band member Bruce Bears on keys and the amazing Sax Gordon on, what else, sax. In my opinion Gordon channels the spirit and Chi-town style of early J.T. (Big Boy) Brown's guttural bleats and squawks that put a big smile on your face.

The recording techniques draw from old-school, sparse mike placement and modern recording equipment that will give you an idea how the masters might sound today. Gut Bucket with Caviar!! Take that and how damn much younger Duke sounds vocally. So strong that I think Michael John discovered a long lost bottle of water from Juan Ponce De Leon's fountain!!

The songs Duke picks out are mostly ones he heard as a youth, you know, the ones that sent him in his initial gritty musical direction. Most are not songs that have become hits as covers over the years, but ones that deserve re-discovery, like the opening track, Guitar Slim's "Quicksand," which immediately gives you the idea of what Low Down and Tore Up promises. Sugar Boy Crawford's "Overboard," sung by drummer Mark Teixeira, makes an old chair dancer's foot tired of tappin'. Next up is Pee Wee Crayton's "Blues After Hours" to help you calm down. This was a big hit … before I was born … unlike Jimmy McCracklin's "It's Alright," that found me at five years old. My favorite (that I really identify with) is another Sugar Boy Crawford tune, "What's Wrong."

Simply put, Duke is a master at every style of guitar and on this one shows his early rough side with youthful abandonment. Put it on and turn it up!

(less)

**** Second album further blurs the lines of pigeonholing their sound.

Since releasing their debut in 2009, this road-seasoned, acutely-talented trio has taken Canada by storm. Their infectious blues-based gumbo features some of the best harmoica, guitar and big-bottomed rhythm you've ever heard--all without a bass player--but, lest you think this is some artsy acoustic experiment, you'd be wrong. The band's middle name does appear to be 'experiment' but they constantly prove how little risk is involved as thye've mastered all the elements from their collective years treading the boards. Roots music made right through a work ethic of tireless execution.

Lead singer/harpist Steve Marriner has a phenomenal voice--perfect for the territory they cover and that's before he even picks up the harp he used to cut out a name for himself (cue 'The Marrinator')--since adding baritone guitar, keyboards and anything else not nailed down to his musical arsenal. Guitarist Tony D (Diteodoro) has the longest legs, musically, bringing guitar chops to the band that sound like three players, alone. Matt Sobb is the underestimated lynchpin of this team of friends, more than anchoring the trio with bulletproof beats and rhythmic voodoo. More than anything anything, these three are childhood pals and they play like they not only mean it, they're willing to meet you out back to prove it.

Without question, this new record is different from the last--as was their intent. Added elements of soul--a challenge easily met by Marriner's vocals, join bits of funk and Diteodoro's scorching, blues-rock leads. Which is exactly why they can't be pigeonholed. They're more interested in getting people to thier feet and moving than they are following a setlist or a gameplan for success, as evidenced from coast to coast at festival after festival. Blues, r&b, funk--it's all the same to them and TO BEHOLD ups the ante with 9 new songs and a Hank Williams III cover.  Harp, aggressive guitar breaks, slap-happy backbeats announce their arrival while they slip into a spiritual treatment of Hank's You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave). A drumbeat-led, funked up Right Now segues into the slow blues, B3-blessed Let Her Down, as Tony D leaves yet another mark. Their own With These Hnads carries a strong Stax groove as Marriner sounds very much in control, backed by noted country singers, Tracey Brown and Kelly Prescott. A few lacklustre tunes are thrown in but there's little wonder why this roots-rich trio fared so well in Memphis at last year's international Blues Challenge, plus a 2010 Blues Music Award for best new artist. Running In The Rain has a 1950's rock'n'roll feel, which lets some steam out of the running order, redeemed by Diteodoro's own mid-tempo, slide and B3-infected All About You--a highlight of a different colour. Marriner's own instrumental workout, the aptly-named The Marrinator--in which the harpist extraordinaire offers insights into how he earned his earlier blues moniker, 'Southside Steve.'

All in all, regardless of the new genre they're carving out for themselves, an aural pleasure to behold.

(less)

The title of this disc alludes to the age of the “Blues Boss”, but you'll have a hard time believing that Kenny Wayne is 67 years old after you hear this outstanding recording. Playing with the energy and enthusiasm of a younger man, Wayne romps through a bakers-dozen of original tunes that showcase his strength as a songwriter and his boogie style of piano playing. He has an engaging style of singing that conjures up memories of Charles Brown and Amos Milburn.

His backing band is lead by ace guitarist Duke Robillard, who also produced the project. The rest of the musicians are drawn primarily from the alumni list of Roomful of Blues – Mark Teixeira on drums, Doug James on baritone sax, Sax Gordon Beadle on tenor sax, Doug Woolverton on trumpet, Carl Querfurth on trombone and Brad Halle on bass. In addition to piano, Wayne adds some organ on several cuts.

The jaunty rhythm on “Searching For My Baby” makes it an easy choice for the opening track with Robillard's guitar offering strong support for Wayne's spirited piano solo. With the horns and organ filling in the space behind him, Wayne de-scribes his attempts to deal with life's travails on “Fantasy Meets Reality”. Robillard's guitar dominates the arrangement on “Devil Woman”, his penetrating licks contrasting nicely with Wayne's laid-back vocal. “Wild Turkey 101 Proof” is a good-natured drinking tune with Wayne and Robillard sharing the solo space.

Other highlights include the title cut, with Wayne offering a summary of his view of life and career - and “Don't Pretend”, a slow blues that gives Wayne ample space to show off his tremendous skills on piano. The relentless drive of “Heaven, Send Me An Angel” underscores the songwriter's plea for relief from an alcohol-fueled rage over the miseries of this world. “Bring Back the Love”is a ballad with the horns cushioning the leader's tender vocal. The band harks back to the days of house rent parties on “Rocking Boogie Party”, with Wayne laying down plenty of dazzling piano runs.

The band slips into a gospel vein on the instrumental closing number, “Give Thanks”. Wayne pounds away on the piano and adds swirling chords on the organ while Robillard picks out more tasty licks.

It is a fitting close, showing the depth of Wayne's musical experiences. There are some who have lamented the future of blues piano due to the recent passing of Pinetop Perkins. Not to worry – the tradition is safe in the capable hands of the Blues Boss. This one is a contender for best Blues recording of the year and should not be missed.

(less)

The latest collaboration between these two brilliant musicians is one of the most delightful discs I’ve had the pleasure of spinning all year.
“Strictly Whatever” opens with a deft remake of Bobby Hebb’s classic “Sonny” and wanders all over from there.  That this disc strays often from Manx’s blues/ East Indian sound is something of a revelation, they split the lead vocals and there are 3 vocal duets.   Kevin wrote 6 of these tracks, Harry wrote 3 and there are the cover tunes, but they all sound like Manx/ Breit songs. Delightful surprises include the playful instrumental “Hippy Trippy” and Breit’s Jeff Beck-like solo on “Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep”.  Yes you could call “Strictly Whatever” a blues album, but its boundaries are broader than that- as you might expect when these guys get together.  This is awesome!
Street date, May 24th.
Sweet Spots: “Do Not Stand At My Grave & Weep”, “Nothing I Can Do”, “Hippy Trippy”, “Little Ukelele”

(less)

Just minutes into the bonus DVD included in Stony Plain Records' 35th anniversary double-disc collection, label founder Holger Petersen proclaims his fondness for the "realness" and the "rawness" of the blues. Petersen also loves the idea of the "characters" that give this music life. The artists that fill the 41 tracks on this collection exhibit all of the above. The quality of the label's signings over the years is impeccable, and the passion and workmanship each track contains is the reason Canada's premiere roots/blues label has lived 35 years to tell the tale.

This collection is comprehensive, with every facet of the label's history spoken for. Disc one features the label's best singer/songwriter type offerings, such as Steve Earle's mournful Civil War-inspired tale of "Ben McCulloch" from Earle's 1994 Train a Comin' disc, with its references to the protagonist passing into "the devil's infantry." Disc two features the label's more bluesy, jazz-leaning material, like label mainstay Duke Robillard, represented by the swingin' title track from his 2008 disc Stomp The Blues Tonight. The prolific Robillard is noted in the liners for not only recording with the label, but also producing and collaborating with other artists on the roster, notably including the New Guitar Summit with Jay Geils and Gerry Beaudoin (represented here by a cover of the Charlie Christian/Lionel Hampton-penned "Shivers").

A wealth of "extra" material is included, the highlight being an unreleased steamy, five song set from legendary slide master Robert Nighthawk recorded during a 1965 Toronto studio session. Nighthawk's final recordings offer his lascivious storytelling with references to moonshine flowing and the night "beginning to rock" in "I'm Gonna Murder My Baby." Exhaustive liner notes with colorful anecdotes and song/artist facts detail each track and complement the music as well as each artist's story.

Holger Petersen's self-described "kitchen table" record label serves as a reminder that the "little guys" can indeed make it when they put the music first. Forget any fanfare. Stony Plain's catalog speaks for itself.

(less)

(less)

Some of Canada's best music takes a lot of time to get out to the public.

Bob Carpenter, who died in 1995, was never famous or successful, but he was revered by many in the folk scene for his songwriting. Tom Rush, Billy Joe Shaver, Brent Titcombe and Valdy, among others, recorded his songs. He only released one album in his life, and although it had a hot-shot producer in Brian Ahearn and top musicians like Lowell George, it never sold a lot of copies.

This group of demos, available only by digital download on Stony Plain Records, has sat in a Vancouver recording studio for 30 years. The production is spare, but this is a great reminder of what a great songwriter Carpenter was.

With his rough, bluesy voice, he comes up with lines I wish I could have written, such as "I believe in the light but I might be some time on the shady side." It probably won't sell a lot of downloads, but Holger Petersen deserves a heap of praise for rescuing this treasure.

(less)

Okay, my little "point of reference" disclaimer real quick - Ronnie Earl is (and has been for a long time) one of my two or three favorite guitarists in all of blues, and I hold him to a VERY high standard. That said, I did a quick count, and I believe this to be his umpteenth album... and he's still batting 1.000 with me; not a stinker in the bunch!

Spread The Love is an all instrumental album built around a classic blues quartet lineup - Ronnie on guitar, Dave Limina on piano and Hammond B3, Jim Mouradian on bass and Lorne Entress on drums. Throughout the album, the main focus is usually on the interplay between Earl's strings and Limina's keys. The chemistry is superb throughout; so good, in fact, that the absence of vocals doesn't tarnish the album a bit, nor does it hinder the listener's ability to draw pictures from these songs. I'd go so far as to say that Limina deserves some serious consideration for a "keyboard player of the year" nomination for his work here.

Of course, Earl's guitar is at the forefront most of the time, and not a single note disappointed these ears. As is usually the case, his playing is way on the high end of soulful with a healthy dose of jazz and just a touch of good funk mixed in. At his best, he's also one of the most melodic guitarists I've found in any genre, and he's certainly darn near his best on this release. The disc opens with "Backstroke," a really nice swing number that sets the tone of the album with it's exceptional interplay between guitar and keyboard. This is about the most energetic cut on the album, if you consider "energy" and "uptempo" to be synonymous - it's a fine opening piece and grabs the listener's attention right away.

The disc really kicks into high gear on the emotion scale with the next few cuts. "Blues For Dr. Donna," a tribute to his wife, is one of those beautiful, slow aching blues pieces - the melody is simple but elegant and leaves a lot of room for some of Earl's most introspective playing on the album. The effect is haunting and long-lasting, and while I'd be hard pressed to name a true favorite on this release, this would probably come closest. He follows this masterwork with two well-chosen covers - well chosen both for their status as classics and for showing the diversity he's capable of. Kenny Burrell's "Chitlins Con Carne" is given a brilliant treatment here. The precision work between Earl and Limina gives us a serious dose of subtle, slinky funk, the sort of piece where you hope the pretty blonde will get out on the dance floor and shake her shoulders. This is followed with perhaps the album's most surprising selection, the classic "Christo Redentor." That's almost a risky pick to me - Charlie Musselwhite's version is so ingrained into my and many psyches - but Earl handles the task admirably, and while his rendition won't drive Musselwhite's classic from my mind, it is certainly a worthy and solid interpretation.

Tracks 5, 6 and 7 almost feel like a trilogy, both sonically and spiritually. Respectively entitled "Happy," "Patience" and "Miracle," these three pieces taken together are a nice microcosm of Earl's heart, soul and philosophy. "Happy" showcases Limina in a more Booker T vein; it is indeed a happy track, but happy in the more serene sense, not in a Disney-esque "uber sunshine" mode. At times, Earl's work here is reminiscent of some of the more slow and soulful early work that Carlos Santana used to present. "Patience" is a moving slow blues, and Limina's keys lay down a seriously good foundation for some of Ronnie's best and most expressive work on the album. "Miracle," then, becomes a real triumphant conclusion to this trilogy; Limina takes the Hammond right into church, which is the only proper foundation for Earl's playing here. I'm reminded of Roy Buchanan's take on "The Messiah Will Come Again;" the core emotion is one of deep spirituality, the kind that can only come from deep belief, from the heart... from real, honest, true belief. Earl both pleads and soars on this track, and the effect is intense.

"Spann's Groove" is a nice nod to Otis Spann, a slow boogie with fantastic piano work (rolling hand and all). "Skyman" and "Tommy's Midnight Blues" deliver more slower melodic blues; the former also incorporates a nice jazzy feel with sort of a quiet tropical sundown attitude. "Eleventh Step To Heaven" is my other contender for personal favorite honors on this album. The piece features some beautifully sweet and low-key bass work (provided by guest Paul Kochansk) that provides a perfect foundation for this simple-yet-complex slow blues. Earl again does a fine job of conveying his own introspective spirituality here; it's yet another seemingly instant classic.

The album's closing piece is "Blues For Bill," and I think it's a fantastic close. This is a slow and almost punchy porch type blues, though Earl gives it his trademark smooth and soulful work. It's a fascinating piece to me, as I really like the version presented here, yet I'd love to hear somebody give this a rip as a true delta number, probably on a metal National and with some good slide work - the contrast between the two renditions of this piece would really be interesting.

Ronnie chooses not to tour widely or do interviews, for the most part, but I sincerely hope to make the journey to his neck of the woods some day. I'd love to shake his hand and thank him for the amazing body of work he's given to the world. Even within that impressive catalog of his, Spread The Love ranks as one of his best. (less)

Have you heard Duke Robillard's latest. It seems like only a few short months ago that Duke had his last release. Can you believe that it has been a year since Stony Plain Records released his Stomp! The Blues Tonight? Stony Plain has now released Duke's Passport To The Blues, which is a fabulous follow-up to his previous album. Check out "Girl Let Me Tell Ya." This number follows the style that he portrayed during his years as lead vocalist for Roomful of Blues. The song follows the playing style of Louisiana legend Johnny "Guitar Slim" Jones. Ex-Roomful of Blues bandmate Doug James gives a great tenor sax solo for the song. Duke gives us some modern-day lyrics to the Blues when he and his band rev it up for "Text Me." The lyrics give us a modern day love song for the digital age. As you check out Pasport To The Blues, notice the similarity of singing style and vocal talents between Duke Robillard and Jim Quick of Coastline. Duke Robillard was one of the founding members of Roomful of Blues and replaced Jimmie Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1990. The Blues Foundation has named him Best Blues Guitarist no less than four times. He also won the Best Traditional Male Artist at the recent Blues Awards in Memphis this year. Not only is Duke Robillard a singer, but a writer, as well. He has written more than 120 songs, many of which have been covered by other artists, including The Tan Canary, Johnny Adams. Passport To The Blues by Duke Robillard is your passport to some great music. (less)

It’s not often you’d think of country music as a cultural ambassador – a cowboy hat diplomat? – but that’s exactly what Tim Hus is. A champion of all things Canadian, Hus has found acceptance not only from east to west but overseas as well. Speaking from his home in Calgary, Tim is on his way to Rocky Mountain Cowboy Festival in Nordegg, Alberta. “It’s a lot of boots and hats for sure,” says Hus, “and it celebrates western culture. There’s a number of them around western Canada and the western United States. There’s western art, saddle making, leather work and then there’s a music festival with bands and cowboy poets and that kind of thing. The festival has been going for five years and I played the inaugural edition and now, I’m ready to make my triumphant return,” chuckles Hus. For those curious about attending, rest assured you don’t need a bull rider’s belt buckle to get in. “I would recommend it,” says Hus. “It’s a lot of fun; the people are friendly and open. It’s like a folk festival except where a folk festival is more world music, cowboy fest is more like a western Canadian festival with good food, people and atmosphere.”

Tim Hus is preparing to premier his newest album, Hockeytown. When asked if it’s a concept album about the game, Hus reveals the meaning. “I did a big tour with Stompin’ Tom from Ontario to the Maritimes last summer and it went really well. This summer we’ll be doing the western leg of it. The album is from that experience and approach: all the songs are about Canada coast to coast and everywhere you go in the country, it’s always a hockey town.” As for Hus’s hockey passion, he fondly recalls playing hockey growing up and still keeps on top of the game, but declines to name favourite teams in the spirit of his “coast to coast” music.

While this Canadiana may be part and parcel of Hus’s music, he notes that it wasn’t always viable to be a Canadian artist passionate about your own country. “I think it’s getting better after stuff like what I’ve been doing and what Corb Lund has been doing. But we’re still largely influenced by the American music industry. We do have our own scene and we do have people who are champions of Canada and Canadian culture, for example, the Corb Lund song ‘Hurtin’ Albertan,’ which I co-wrote with him.”

This pride in being Canadian and representing the country has “led to an interesting thing that’s happened to my band as of late,” says Hus. “We’ve become a cultural ambassador. Last year we played at the Vancouver Olympics in that role (and) we recently played Martinque, a French island in the Caribbean, and we were told we were the first Canadian band to ever perform there. Last month I was over in South Korea playing at universities and Europe not long before that… Just because it’s Canadian music doesn’t mean it’s just for Canadians. We’re taking it around the world and giving everyone a taste of the culture.” In terms of the reaction, Hus says, “It’s gone over great everywhere. There’s a lot of interest but it’s always received differently, it’s not so relatable for some of them, so it’s more they’re experiencing something not familiar to them.”

In true Canadian fashion, one of the more memorable experiences comes from visiting our neighbour to the south. “We played the States at the Dollar Watch Jamboree in Washington. We headlined the festival down there and a lot of the time I get criticized that my songs are too Canadian to work in the U.S., but we had the most merchandise and albums sold out of any band at that festival,” says Hus with some trace of pride.

Just how Canadian are his songs? “Well, on the new album I’ve got a song about hunting the Sasquatch; I don’t think you can get more Canadian than that!” he laughs. “A lot of my songs are stories from the road – places we travel to and people we met are all seen through my eyes and my pen,” says Hus.

Because of the common threads running through the songs, Hus says, “People come up to me and s (less)

In September of 2006, I attended a concert honoring jazz historian Richard Sudhalter with Jeff Healey on the bill, only vaguely aware of Healey's pop music history and ignorant of his lifelong fascination with jazz performers of the 1920s and 1930s. His remarkable laptop guitar playing (strongly influenced by Eddie Lang and other early jazz masters) and heartfelt singing of Tin Pan Alley hits made me an instant Jeff Healey fan; seeing him pick up a trumpet and blowing Louis Armstrong-inspired choruses only added to my amazement.

Beautiful Noise was taped earlier that year for a Canadian TV program, and captures a live set by Healey and his working octet of jazz players. Reeman Christopher Plock's booming bass saxophone recalls the sound of '20s jazz ensembles; he has a striking Roland Kirk-esque moment on "Sugar Blues," simutaneously playing soprano and alto sax. Other highlights include violinist Drew Jurecka recalling Joe Venuti on "Wild Cat," performed in duo with the leader; Terra Hazelton, the band's blues diva, lays the double entendres thick on "Long John;" and, ofcourse, Healey demonstrating his multiple talents. He excels as a vocal balladeer on "If I Had You," which also contains an inspired trumpet solo. Healey's premature death, barely two years after this performance, was a tragedy for all lovers of swing.

(less)

Where his albums with the Jazz Wizards were sometimes more enthusiastic than authentic, this disc – recorded mostly with Healey overdubbing himself on guitars, trumpet and voice – gets the details precisely right, from his perfectly shaded crooning in Time on My Hands to the exquisitely swinging rhythm guitar underpinning I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter. And while Ross Wooldridge’s piano cameos are occasionally too florid for my taste, the contributions of the album’s other guest, violinist Drew Jurecka, are time-machine perfect. (less)

The newest release from folk and roots staple Maria Muldaur has been nominated for a Grammy ("best traditional folk album of the year") and this writer can't think of anyone who deserves it more. In the 35 years since "Midnight at the Oasis" hit it big, Muldaur has received far too little credit for her contribution to roots and Americana music. Maria Muldaur puts a new album on the stacks at least once a year, without fail, and has done so for longer than most fans of folk and jug bands have been alive. She was there, a radiant if petite proto-hippie-momma, when it all began, during the early '60s folk revival in Greenwich Village. Hanging out with Dylan and the Seegers and playing at the Newport Folk Music Festival as part of the Even Dozen Jug Band all carved a place for Muldaur in history, and a good number of good friends that would last the ages. A good number of those good friends are back on "Her Garden of Joy" to return to the roots of roots music— Jug Bands. America's mando-laureate David Grisman sits in on a few tracks, as does the great Taj Mahal. Muldaur is bringing fresh fruit into the mix as well, inviting the young Kit Stovepipe to play national guitar on a number of traditional tunes.

Editor's Note: Maria Muldaur and band form a beautiful melody that puts you in a dream and when you wake up you find yourself singing along to it.

(less)

You could say that B.B. King and Aaron "T-Bone" Walker invented modern electric blues, a big-city sound in which the Mississippi Delta -- which continued to inform such contemporaries as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf -- was a very distant echo. A whole lot of memorable music, from Albert King, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Little Milton and others, followed. So, unfortunately, have many generic-sounding recordings. To my hearing, the latter have the resonance more of roots rock (or somebody's idea of it) than of real blues; "blues rock" strikes me as -- with, inevitably, some worthy exceptions -- effectively rock, incidentally blues. The standard complaint, fair or unfair but hardly mine alone, is that there's more hand -- the players are invariably adept at their instruments -- than heart in this approach. That said, Between a Rock & the Blues, produced by the hard-working, ever-reliable Duke Robillard (whose most recent CD I reviewed here on 4 July 2009), is as electric and modern as a blues disc can be, and a stunner. For once, "masterpiece" -- the word is used on the back cover -- falls short of hyperbole. The record has almost hypnotic powers. I have listened to it repeatedly, each time in some state of awed consciousness.

Joe Louis Walker (no relation to T-Bone as far as I know) first recorded in 1986, and this is his 20th album. Though I know his early work, I lost track of him in the interim. Picking up on him in 2009, I encounter a major blues artist at the peak of his powers. Because race is so much a part of any discussion of blues' history and higher meaning, it is necessary to note here that Walker is an African-American who has lived long enough (born in 1949) to have grown up in blues culture, in other words at a time when blues was not -- as it has been for a long time now -- at the far margins of black life and entertainment. Walker seems to have heard, seen or known just about every significant African-American vernacular and popular musician of the mid- to latter-20th century. In addition he was close friends with the late Mike Bloomfield, who did as much as anyone (next, anyway, to the early Rolling Stones) to introduce electric blues to a whole generation of white young people.

Between a Rock & the Blues fuses gospel, r&b, soul and (yes) rock, but it is at its essence a blues record -- thundering and scorching, yes, but never bombastic. Afire with emotion, the songs, in common with all true blues, deliver convincingly lived-in storytelling. "Black Widow Spider" boasts a particularly compelling narrative and a terrific blues metaphor like they used to. Just as gripping, "If There's a Heaven," written by Walker with Kevin Eubanks and Joe Russo, is a confession of sin by a petty criminal who yet strives to commit good. It's hard to believe psychological and spiritual complexity of this kind could be compacted into a song, even one that clocks in at 6:41, but it's considerably more interesting than most gospel songs.

Social commentary drives "I'm Tide" -- meaning "tired" of a whole lot of aggravations of modern life; Walker is so exhausted that he can't even manage that second syllable -- and Murali Coryell's "Way Too Expensive," about economic inequity; there's also a richly earned dig at our most recent ex-president.

With electric guitar, slide and 12-string, Walker fronts a band which hits hard and lands every punch. Pleasingly, though, the album closes on a whole other note with "Send You Back," a quiet acoustic-guitar/harmonica country blues. Walker is fluent in all the blues languages.

(less)

CD review: Jeff Healey's guitar legacy shines through in Songs From The Road

Jeff Healey wore many musical hats during his brief life - band leader, singer, radio DJ, nightclub owner, trumpeter and clarinetist.

But the blind musician will be remembered best for playing searing guitar on his lap, looking like a pedal steel guitar man gone mad. 

Songs from the Road (Stony Plain Records) captures Healey's gift for energizing rock and blues tunes with powerful, sometimes blistering guitar work.

It's a talent that occasionally sneaks up on the listener.

Songs like his cover of the Beatles' Come Together and his own hit Angel Eyes start off sounding a little staid. Then the songs build, with the payoff of strong guitar solos.

Also deceptive are Healey's vocals, which occasionally sound a little tame. However, his voice booms out nicely on blues classics like (view Muddy Waters version) Hoochie Coochie Man  and  (view Rolling Stones/Robert Cray version) Stop Breaking Down.

There's also great harmonica work from Dave Murphy and fine guitar interplay with Dan Noordemeer and Healey on the latter song.

The two extra musicians also chip in vocals, with Murphy being particularly strong on Come Together. Adding to Healey's original trio format definitely helps throughout the CD. Guest guitarist Randy Bachman gives some extra jolt to Hoochie Coochie Man.

Other highlights are a powerful version of the Allman Brothers' Whipping Post and some great 'wah-wah' guitar on their take of Cream's White Room.

Drummer Al Webster and bassist Alec Fraser, who deserves credit for producing a fine array of songs. They were from concerts in Norway, London, England and Toronto.

Material somewhat resembles Healey's early career successes, which incuded millions in sales, two Grammy nominations and performing with stars like B.B. King and George Harrison.

The ex-Beatle sang backing vocals and played acoustic guitar when Healey covered his hit While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

Healey even appeared in the Patrick Swayze movie Roadhouse. Four of his band's tunes made the soundtrack, including a cover of the Doors' Roadhouse Blues. He later had a Toronto night spot named Jeff Healey's Roadhouse.

He eventually changed direction, recording three albums with Jeff Healey's Jazz Wizards. Instead of guitar, Healey played trumpet and clarinet.

Healey owned between 25,000 and 35,000 78-rpm jazz records, using them for his program on JAZZ-FM.91.

Unfortunately, the cancer that blinded him (retinoblastoma) took Healey's life in March, 2008. He was 41.

Fans might find a little consolation in two albums released posthumously. Besides Songs from the Road, Mess of Blues was released last year.

(less)

He's released about five of the most high lauded albums in the last five years and on top of that, continues to produce some fine records for a ton of people. However, this release along with his more jazzy-blues release from last year seem to be his real niche. Tapping into the rhythm and blues charts of the 40s and 50s is where the Duke is at home and actively creates, pulling from the obscure and the well known. Conjuring thoughts of a young B.B. King or a young Ike Turner or Eddie Vinson, Wynonie Harris, or Roy Brown; Duke funnels those guitar themes effortlessly back into the popular blues consciousness with each subsequent release and hasn't ever faltered. The Duke of the Blues is still firmly holding the standards high for all those who choose to call themselves a blues guitarist. (less)

A revered forefather of folk music, Ian Tyson carved a singular presence among traditional troubadours, first as half the duo Ian and Sylvia (“Someday Soon,” “Four Strong Winds”) and later as a cowboy poet and songwriter of rarified stature. Still revered in his native Canada, he remains at the top of his form even at age 75, and while his voice is weathered and his tales somewhat tattered, he continues to make music that is as indelible and gripping as ever. Tyson’s latest is no exception, a spellbinding work of epic proportions. A series of sweeping, refl ective narratives, it details the people, places and indigenous wildlife of windswept Canadian prairies. The riveting title track details the journey of a wolf pack transported to new environs in order to save them from extinction. Its dramatic delivery refl ects his cinematic style, and like the bitter ballad “Fiddler Must Be Paid,” the earnest “My Cherry Red Rose” and the rambling “Bill Kane,” it conveys both a gritty perspective and a knowing stance. If Springsteen and Mellencamp speak to the pulse of the American heartland, Tyson is their Canadian equivalent, equally intrepid, clear-eyed and compelling.

 

(less)

(less)

Thirty years ago, Texas tunesmith Rodney Crowell knocked off a compact and powerful recording, Ain't Living Long Like This, that included perfectly crafted songs such as Voila An American Dream and California Earthquake.

The album rocked established notions in the country music world. His beautifully chiselled approach to songwriting caused multiple cases of whiplash in publishing houses where writers had been content in serving up too much gooey pop-saturated fare that had been drawn from the same stagnating pools for far too long.

If Crowell's debut disc and subsequent efforts like What Will The Neighbors Think? and Rodney Crowell weren't climbing the charts, his songs vaulted to the top thanks to artists like Waylon Jennings, Bob Serger and Emmylou Harris taking big bites out of his catalogue.

Crowell, who was a contempaorary of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, had the best of both worlds-artistic credibility and the kind of commercial success songwriters dream of.

"Songwriting royalties, they have afforded me a life few have," says Crowell.

Major success as a performing artist was not going to elude him forever.Twenty years ago. he racked up five No. 1 singles from his Diamonds and Dirt album-including a duet with his then wife Roseanne Cash, It's Such a Small World, and After All This Time, which won a Grammy award.

"You look back and those 15 minutes of fame were a hiccup, and I wasn't happy," says Crowell. "Call it the Elvis syndrome. You put up an image, there's this self-conscious notoriety."

In the '90s, he released three rather forgettable discs and his marriage to Cash crumbled. Crowell decided to pull back.

"I had gone to a place where the art was going to get killed and got out. I don't think I played five live shows in five years, from '95 to 2000. I built a new marriage, took long walks and my kids to school."

Crowell has just released Sex and Gasoline.It's his fourth album of the new millennium and arguably his finest work,thanks in part to pieces like Truth Decay and The Rise and Fall of Intelligent Design.

Produced by Joe Henry, and released in Canada on Stony Plain Records, Crowell wanted fresh input into making records and felt the need to refocus on performing and singing.

"The sessions happened quickly with very little overdubbing; much of the playing from guitarists Doyle Bramhall II and Greg Leisz, and that great Canadian bass player of yours, David Pilch, was intuitive," says Crowell.

Much of the material is centred on his perceptions of the triumphs and struggles of being in today's world.

"There have been things written stating that I was trying to write from a woman's point of view and that's not the case. My wife, women friends and daughters would nail me to the wall for attempting that," says Crowell, who examines beauty on Moving Work of Art, and Alzheimer's in Forty Winters. "I am my own harshest critic and biggest fan, and these are my best vocal performances."

He also managed to draw Phil Everly out of retirement for a day to sing on one of the album's songs, Truth Decay.

"We had to take a shot at it and he agreed," says Crowell.

"What a gentleman, and Phil worked really hard. It was one of the highlights of my career, and my wife has made a 12 minute film out of that session."

(less)

The combination of guitarist/singer/songwriter Joe Louis Walker with producer/guitarist Duke Robillard is an inspired one. Robillard strips down Walker's sound, emphasizing his distinctive gospel-infused vocals while welcoming Walker's diverse influences. Soul, R&B, funk, rockabilly, and loose blues shuffles are elements of Walker's sound, and Robillard's typically warm touch is applied here with impressive results.

Inexplicably overlooked as one of contemporary blues' most dynamic and innovative musicians, Walker has been knocking around the blues scene since his 1986 debut, releasing consistently exciting music that hasn't received the commercial acceptance it deserves. Hopefully that will change, as Witness to the Blues is one of Walker's finest efforts. Eight of its 11 songs are Walker compositions, and even his versions of oft-covered chestnuts "Rollin' and Tumblin'" and "Sugar Mama" are given vigorous, creative arrangements that make them sound new. A guest appearance by Shemekia Copeland on "Lover's Holiday" - a lost gem originally recorded by Sixties soul duo Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson - is an album highlight. Walker and Copeland tear into the tune with a level of heat and enthusiasm that nearly equals the original.

Elsewhere, Walker takes a cue from Muddy Waters' slide and powerful grinding lope on the sizzling slow blues "100% More Man." Keyboardist Bruce Katz does his best Otis Spann impression here on a riveting solo that sounds as if Spann himself dropped by to tinkle the ivories. Walker's "Hustlin'" is a touch R&B-infused shuffle, and "Witness" is a lovely ballad that shows the subtle side of Walker's songwriting. No matter what he's singing, Walker's churchy approach is soulful, heartfelt, and spellbinding. He lets his voice crack naturally, and even if he's getting a little rough around the edges on the high notes, he seems particularly inspired on this set, perhaps because he finally has found a producer who brings out his best.

(less)

Blues has an extraordinary musical emotion, with an inner texture dipped into a sixth sense that opens a weathered journey for whoever chooses its dramatic passage. Every time I spin a fine grit of blues, life becomes focused. Such was the case with Rory Block and her new tribute project to Son House, Blues Walkin’ like a Man. Released by Stony Plain Records in 2008, this blues storyline has escorted the audience in the direction of their own crossroads. This is the “glue” to the days when blues was the story of every man’s road. Block has set the flow for an Americana time capsule in musicianship!

Delta bluesman Son House never really received the accolades he so richly earned, but this preacher man–blues icon has influenced a globe in the art form known as blues. Block took this iconic existence to become her mission, unearthing the greatness of the man who influenced her world. Blues Walkin’ like a Man injects a deceptively strong tribute spin in the form of Son House’s signature style at the same time. Block is very much in control of her own precise formula.

Block's sense of commitment inspires with the performance of “Preachin’ Blues” as the old school of hard blues is exercised. The pick configurations are solid and methodical. Strategically injected solos truly ignite the fever blues can only trigger. The acoustical romance of blues comes to a righteous pulse with “Government Fleet Blues.” In this experience, Block vocalizes the story with the signature pain desirable to properly break through the meaning within the blues dimension. Many times, blues is imparted through song with a hollow emotion. However, Block brings that traditional style to life, executing the tale of a weathered and traveled soul. Classic feel with structure!

Block appeals to the inner sense that the blues instills into an audience. A pure grit of life pours from her strings as she massages each fret of her musical drive. In this case, she applauds the life of Son House and with her smooth tones and hard core vocals. Block came to the crossroads with this project and took it into the right direction.

(less)

Big Dave McLean is one of a handful of musicians who long ago earned a high ranking in the heavyweight division of the Canadian blues scene,and he continues to challenge all comers.

The guitar-and harp-wielding Winnipeg native is a force who instantly commands the audience's attention,yet the husky-voiced musician doesn't have a bombastic delivery.Instead,with one hand firmly on the microphone and his eyes searching every corner of the room, McLean connects with combinations of rhythmic crunch, heartfelt turns of phrase and slaps of stinging steel.

McLean has been praised for his encouragement of aspiring players and singers across the Prairies. He is essentially passing on what was presented to him 30-plus years ago,when legendary bluesman Muddy Waters opened up his world to the young Winnipegger.

All those links in the blues chain bring us to this six-night stand at Blues on Whyte,10329 82nd Ave.It finds McLean teamed with Guitarmageddon, an aggregation of younger players who have all made their mark on the national scene.

Between sets, McLean talked of first hearing a young Shaun Verreault in Saskatoon, when he wasn't of legal age to play the bars.

"We used to sneak Shaun into Bud's on Broadway so he could play a few tunes at the Saturday afternoon jam sessions", says McLean, suggesting that everyone understood Verreault was not your average youngster drawn to the guitar.

"Now, here I am doing this tour with Shaun, and his slide-playing is so ferocious that sometimes I almost stop playing because I get so caught up in what he is doing," added McLean. Verreault has been lifting audiences out of their seats as a member of Wide Mouth Mason, and as a solo peformer, for years.

Rounding out the ensemble are the bass-playing Curtis Scarrow, who spearheaded this tour with McLean, and drummer Scotty Hills, who just came off a European tour with Mclean as part of a package with The Perpetrators.

The foursome can come at a crowd as a full-blown, amps-turned-electric unit, ripping through versions of Got to Love Somebody, Rainin' in My Heart and Chicken Shack, which McLean humorouslyintroduces as Poulet de Chalet.

Then there's a tasty and slightly understated take of That's Alright, the Jimmy Rogers tune that was a staple in the original Muddy Waters band repertoire. In this setting, it finds Verreault slipping in effective Ron Wood-like rhythm licks between McLean's vocal lines.

Mid-song tempo changes, gang vocals on choruses and interesting combinations of guitar styles, some fusing the sting of Texas influences with the tones of sruf guitar, also had the Blues on Whyte crowd applauding appreciatively after every tune in the opening set.

"That we come out with all four of us on guitars and do a sit-down thing for the second set gives the show added depth, and that's where Shaun and Scotty also sing a few tunes. We have a huge repertoire to work with, " said McLean with a grin.

While McLean thinks of this union as a little bit of a "payback" for his time spent as a mentor, the truth is that McLean, Verreault, Scarrow and Hills simply make for a superior blues revue.

 

 

(less)

New Guitar Summit is an apt name for this group in one sense, but not in another: yes, they're like a summit meeting of Boston guitarists (Jay Geils, Duke Robillard, Gerry Beaudoin), but no, there's nothing new about them. These guys are elder statesmen, and the music they play is strictly old-school: "Flying Home," "Honeysuckle Rose," "Everybody's Crying Mercy," etc. And is it all an unmitigated delight? Oh heavens, yes. For all guitar collections. (less)

For his latest release in a long association with Canada's Stony Plain label, guitarist and singer Duke Robillard digs deep into the American songbook of jazz classics and throws in a couple of original instrumentals for good measure.

A Swingin' Session does much more than spotlight Robillard's nimble guitar work and nuanced vocals. Backed by his longtime bandmates and some former Roomful of Blues colleagues, Robillard directs the spotlight just as often on the horns and keyboards. Like one of his heroes, Duke Ellington, Robillard plays his band like an instrument, and that comes naturally for these dozen players who share an affinity for the place where jazz meets blues. Many of these musicians hail from Robillard's Rhode Island stomping grounds, including such familiar names as Gordon Beadle (tenor and baritone sax), Al Basile (cornet), Scott Hamilton (tenor sax), and Carl Querfurth (trombone).

The songs come from familiar sources, but they're not necessarily well known to modern listeners, so the setlist sounds fresh. Ray Charles' "Them That Got" features great piano work by Bruce Katz, and Basile's muted cornet punctuates Irving Berlin's "The Song Is Ended." Robillard's charisma as a vocalist shines, especially on the Charles number.

Blues and jazz scholars might pore over the obscure song selections and Robillard's approach to the arrangements, but none of that matters to the people who go to his shows. What makes this material work is what happens on the dance floor when a band swings this hard. We should thank Robillard for reprising and reinventing classic American music in an age when real musicianship gets short shrift while shallow theatrics can earn you a stint on American Idol. Call me cranky, but I'd rather swing.

(less)

At most, Percy Mayfield might be credited for his song "Hit the Road jack," but this disc reveals a sonwriting ability that ran much deeper and broader than one hit.Garrett's homage to Mayfield showcases not only the songs' humanity,but also Garrett's bluesy touch. His vocal delivery is as smooth as molasses,while his guitar-indeed,the entire instrumental backing-harkens back decades

Songs like "Stranger in My Own Hometown" are,perhaps,even darker than the title would suggest.Dave Babcocks' saxophones provide a link to the R & B and rockabilly of the 1950s. Garretts' guitar playing does the same. On "The Country" he plays against the organ,while drums keep a steady beat.This song too sounds like a recording from the '50s or '60s by a group of road house veterans at a slightly more uptown gig.Then the mournful saxes return,making acuaintance with Garretts' heavy-on-th-reverb guitar on "To Claim It's Love", another down-on-his-luck story. Garretts' world-weary vocals are the perfect complement to the material,and the dolorous instrumental backing is spot on.

(less)

Jeff Healey's recent passing caused great sadness in the blues world and around the world. We were, perhaps, too used to having him around to appreciate his talents.

I saw him first in Toronto in 1985, when he was still unknown outside his home city. They brought him up on stage to play for a flabbergasted Albert Collins. It wasn't just his unique style, playing the guitar on his lap with a combination of pulling and plucking the strings, that surprised so many. It was also the fact that he was so good at it. My last encounter with Jeff was as the emcee for his show at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, leading his greatest love, his pre-Second World War era jazz band. He made it look so easy, and was so unassuming, you had to remind yourself of how good he was.

Recent years saw Healey move away from the blues for lengthy stretches of jazz, but he never stayed away for long. It remained his bread and butter, as concert requests continued to come in overseas and at home.

Plus, he had his Toronto namesake bar, which thrived when its famous owner was onstage. Healey put together a crack bar band for those gigs and figured he should document it on disc, as well. The result, planned long before his lost battle to cancer, is Mess Of Blues (Stony Plain).

Part live, mostly studio, it's made up of tracks Healey's group would wow the crowds with, playing for the fun of it and showing off a little, too. Much of the disc is party-trick material, familiar songs that make a bar crowd happy, especially with the new and exciting takes the group brings to them. You get a little Elvis, with Mess O' Blues, an old classic in Sittin' On Top Of The World, foot-stompin' fun with Jambalaya and Shake, Rattle & Roll, and curveball Canadian covers with Neil Young's Like a Hurricane and The Band's The Weight.

The album is what it was meant to be, a great night at the best roadhouse around. But Healey is gone. And what stands out for me is that I won't see this group, which was scheduled to play the Harvest this September, do these songs. Hearing them now, hearing him, I realize what I always took for granted: He is that good. Here are some of the most soaring live electric guitar solos you will ever need. They match the best players working today or in the past. His signature style may have been how he played the guitar, but what he played was amazing, too.

This last album will no doubt be my favourite blues album by Healey. Not bad, considering blues wasn't even his favourite music.

Bob Mersereau is a music writer and the arts reporter for CBC in New Brunswick.

(less)

It's easy to dismiss country music as antiquated or slow-witted, especially with the popularity of current Canadian indie stars like Feist or Tokyo Police Club, who wear their energy on their sleeves.

Set next to bands like these, a sound like Corb Lund's may seem like a quaint throwback to a time when music was easy, vulgar and anything but complex. Yet Lund's newest album is perhaps the most imaginative and daring Canadian indie album that will be released this year for exactly that reason. It's deceptive in its simplicity.

On the surface, it's an album about that most reliable country music stereotype: this guy really loves his horse. But Lund has been reading his history textbooks, and the album is a lament for the old stories that Lund sorely wishes he had been a part of. This is not so much a political album as it is a yearning for a kind of glory, one that is always just out of reach in times of war.

This idea may turn some listeners off, but many will enjoy the way Lund appropriates the country genre to tell simple, effective stories with his throaty yelp. The music, if nothing else, is good. It doesn't need jangly power chords or crashing cymbals to get a rise out of the listener - it is stripped down and direct without overpowering his lyrics, which approach poetry.

The brusque rat-a-tat of military drums on the opening track "I Wanna Be In The Cavalry" belies the weight of its words. It would be easy to laugh at the folksy fiddle strings or steel guitar if they weren't put to such good use. Lund has created a concept album in the very best sense of the term.

Perhaps his greatest strength is that he doesn't condescend to the listener; he relies on our intelligence and open-mindedness. Yes, country music can be brashly, perhaps stupidly, political. Sometimes, it can be about trucks and seedy bars and going home to yer darlin' after a hard day in the field. But Lund reminds us that country can have soul.

It may be the last musical form that knows its roots, and can see what's been lost to the relentless hammering of modernity. It's a sad burden for Corb Lund to shoulder, but he carries it well as he sings, "The band that played and the grand parade and the patriotic shouts/all faded fast, didn't even last till the uniforms wore out/and there were none to replace nor to help us face the winters cold and bleak".

(less)

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)

9.5-out-of-10
I just couldn't resist the idea of reviewing a tribute to Ian Tyson in the same issue as Quartette, which of course includes Sylvia Tyson, Ian's former wife, and musical partner. While the musical careers of the pair went their separate ways, they will be forever linked in the mind's and hearts of Canadian music fans.
Ian Tyson has of course had an outstanding career helping to preserve and re-popularize the genre of true western music.
As a performer you tend to know your career has earned respect when other artists gather to do a tribute album, and one listen to this effort and you know Tyson's career is indeed worthy. This CD is crammed full of recognizable hits covered by some of the best in Canadian music, along with a few American friends added in. I truly enjoy the mix of veteran and new musical stars paying their respects here.
The CD starts with Canadian super group Blue Rodeo doing a sweet rendition of Four Strong Winds, an early hit from when Ian and Sylvia were famous just by their first names in this country.
On the very next cut Corb Lund, a more recent arrival to the country charts in Canada doing the western classic MC Horses.
Cindy Church, yes another tie to Quartette, offers a rendition of Range Delivery.
Amos Garrett, a great bluesman does Some Kind of Fool, and the Good Brothers do Summer Wages.
A favourite cut here though has to be Canadian folk icon Gordon Lightfoot's rendition of Red Velvet.
The only thing really missing here is a rendition of Navajo Rug, maybe Tyson's best known, and best-loved songs. Perhaps for that reason no one felt comfortable covering such a signature song.
Overall this is a great western CD, made even better because of the collection of artists coming together to pay homage to a true star of the Canadian music scene for decades. He has released 11 solo CDs, dating back to 1973, and Four Strong Winds was a hit a decade earlier than that.
This is one to be cherished.

(less)

His playing skills are legendary; so is his ability to tour practically non-stop. He has a label that has managed to promote him effectively worldwide and he has released over a dozen albums through them.

He has sessioned with the best of them, including Maria Muldaur, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, John Hammond and dearly missed legends Jay McShann, Ruth Brown, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roscoe Gordon and Long John Baldry.

On his new double-disc release he is backed by an impressive collection of players, his regular lineup and special guests "Sugar" Ray Norica on harmonica and Al Basile on cornet among others. A tour-de-force, World Full of Blues, solidifies that Duke Robillard is a man charged with creative talent causing him to birth unique blues. Robillard is a man in his prime hour.

(less)

"Keep your eyes cocked on Maria d'Amato. You will soon see another folk star." Victoria Spivey wrote in a 1964 review of the singer's Newport Folk Festival debut with the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, originally published in Record Research magazine and reprinted in the Naughty Bawdy & Blue booklet. Spivey was correct in her prediction that the singer, who married Kweskin band member Geoff Muldaur, would become a shining light of the '60s folk revival. Maria, of course, would also triumph in the pop, blues, jazz, and contemporary Christian music realms.

One of the most eclectic song stylists of modern times, Muldaur returns to material associated with Spivey, Sippie Wallace, Mamie Smith, Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, Ma Rainey, and other blues divas of the 1920s on her latest in a trilogy of CDs for the Canadian Stony Plain in which she explores the "classic blues" of that period. (One curiosity is a pop song titles Smile, credited in the booklet to Charlie Chaplin, Geoff Parsons, and John Turner, though in fact it is not their Smile.) Naughty Bawdy & Blues, (sic) however, is the first CD on which the vocalist is supported by a traditional jazz band of the type featured on many of the original recordings. Pianist James Dapogny's Chicago Jazz Band does a superb job in backing Muldaur, its horn section supplying just the right moans when called for and the rhythm section providing some nicely syncopated New Orleans bounce. Rob Bourassa joins them on two selections for acoustic guitar solos that bring Eddie Lang to mind, and Bonnnie Raitt duets with Muldaur on Wallace's Separation Blues. For the Bessie Smith hit Empty Bed Blues, Muldaur is accompanied only by longtime Etta James sideman Dave Mathews on piano and trombonist Kevin Porter. Muldaur shines throughout, her raspy tone and wide vibrato an ideal match for the vintage material, and she brings appropriate sass to such risque tunes as Empty Bed Blues, Handy Man, and One Hour Mama.

(less)

Harry Manx and Kevin Breit are both singularly accomplished musicians. Both have an impressive history of travel and musical prowess. Both have individual style and their husky-voice-meets-sweet-and-rich vocal harmonies compliment each other so well, that we've given them our choice spot as our new album of the week.

In Good We Trust is a rootsy, album with that down-home organic sound. It creates a comfortable atmosphere anywhere you might be. There's something for everyone including a vast array of instruments. The songs are multidimensional and there is a Springsteen cover "I'm On Fire," which Springsteen himself liked so much that he signed Harry's unique cigar box guitar, which is featured on the album cover. This is a gem of a find worth checking out.

***New Album of the Week***

(less)

Ah talk about aging like fine wine. Valdy and Garry Fjellgaard have been part of the Canadian music scene for what seems like forever. The two have always shared a similar take on music,a style somewhere smack dab in between folk and country.

So it was no surprise the duo might eventually get together for a CD and they did that a few years ago with the release of Contenders on the Stony Plain label. The CD was a gem thanks to the seasoned, relaxed styles these two bring to their music.

Fortunately for listeners Valdy and Fjellgaard are back at it, having hit the studios for Contenders Two and have once again put together a must-have CD.

There are numerous fantastic cuts here, the best may be The Fever, River Stay ' Way From My Door and Bay of Sails are both memorable as well.So too is the rendition of Seven Spanish Angels, which is as good as the original by Willie Nelson and Ray Charles.

There is a line in the opening cut; For The Love Of It, which speaks volumes. It states, "it must be these old troubadours don't know what else to do." Well that is a lucky circumstance for lovers of Canadian music. It would be a true shame if these two ever walked away from their music. They are consummate performers.

And, having interviewed both in the past, I can tell you they are genuine, and true gentlemen in every sense of the word.

(less)