August
2002
Sue
Foley Where The Action Is KOCH KOC-CD-8822/KOCH
When Sue Foley introduced "I Got The Blues" by the Stones at last fall's Women's Blues Revue, she mentioned how she had started listening again to the albums that she grew up with. The spirit of the Stones pervades this CD. It has the raunchiness of Exile On Main Street and little touches throughout that bring to mind different Stones songs. Seeing as they started out as a blues band and have maintained their blues commitment ever since, it shouldn't be hard to imagine a serious blues album like this. Ms. Foley has clearly been motivated to write some very good new songs. There are other influences here too, particularly the Dylan & The Hawks sound, but what carries this album over all this is Foley's singing her new songs. Her voice is not a pretty instrument and it may be that in just singing, without trying to "correct" the pitch, that she has found her own voice and knows it. She can now approach the style of Memphis Minnie or Etta James if she wants to and it will sound right. Her carefully controlled vibrato is also extremely effective. Of the songs, special mention goes to the title track, "Vertigo Blues", "Two Bluebirds", "Gotta Keep Moving" and her updating and personalizing of "Down the Dirt Road Blues". It's only this last song that's acoustic, making good on her promise that this is a rocking album. As for her version of the Stones' "Stupid Girl", it's excellent and there's no reason a woman should not know someone who fits the bill and sing about her. The Nashville session players, under the guidance of producer Colin Linden, play with inspiration, especially drummers Bryan Owings & Ken Coomer. Richard Bell on keyboards continues to amaze. Two songs were recorded with her current band, ("Love Disease" and "Roll With Me Henry") on these Mike Turenne plays bass and Tom Bona, drums. This is an amazing album and goes directly to the short list for JUNO contention. It will be a closely watched vote.
Neil Chapman Hope In Hell Rubber Buddha RBRCD 001
In the Beaches Jazz Festival program, veteran local session guitar ace Neil Chapman was listed as blues and with a new solo album. Having just heard his powerful and bluesy contributions to Bill King's Saturday Night Fish Fry, I anxiously slid it into the player. What I heard was not quite blues. In the CD tray card, he describes his music as fock, or a combination of funk and rock and readers here might be drawn to the fonkiest tracks, as Dr. John would call it, which fall into sort of a New Orleans groove. There are also several songs here that pop radio as I remember it would be proud to play endlessly but that probably won't happen, there is just too much quality here. Fans of guitar playing and the recording studio should think about this one, though, as Chapman and Traz have created quite a sound world with producer Carl Petzelt. There are far more interesting things happening here than I've heard in this kind of project. If you need any more proof that Chapman is an amazing guitarist, this is it. I don't know how you can acquire a copy as www.neilchapman.ca seems to be under construction. You might just check the listings and get one directly from him.
Soul Kings Swank Indie
Last year's Talent Search finalists from the Six Nations Reserve have a full CD that is some good tunes and exciting playing but one that is unfortunately hobbled by a dim recorded sound. "Swank" and "Calling For You" are top notch efforts by leader/singer/guitarist Josh Miller and should take them far. Blaine Bomberry plays the other guitar, Keith Silver, bass and three different drummers are on board. As befits their name, songs by Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder are here. The three closing songs, including a live version of "Swank" were recorded at a street festival. Bios and ordering info are at www.soulkings.com. Or maybe you can acquire one at one of the Real Rez Blues events at the Dollar.
Peter
Narvaez Some Good Blues Amber 4141
Peter Narvaez is a musicologist at Memorial University in Newfoundland and practices what he preaches in the sense of being a blues musician as well as an academic. On his first CD (there is an earlier LP), he plays finger style guitar, amplified harmonicas and mandolin behind his original compositions along with (usually) one of three different accompanying guitarists. The music here is mostly straight-ahead blues with some very contemporary lyrics instead of the more usual adaptations of traditional verses. In fact, except for the odd humourous song ("Organically Grown") he takes himself quite seriously as a songwriter and will often slip into a Leonard Cohen-style breathy speech-song. This can be a problem because his carefully constructed lyrics can then be difficult to hear above the instruments in the mix. He has written songs for John Fahey, Ron Hynes and Buffy Sainte-Marie among others and if nothing else happens, some of these songs might well be chosen by others as well. "Make Some Time (Beeper Song)", "Your Cigarettes and Coffee (Gonna be the Death of Me)" and "Airport Blues" are three that might be considered. The CD is available through Amber Music, a Newfoundland artists' label, at www.ambermusic.com.
Lil'
Ed & The Blues Imperials Heads Up! Alligator ALCD
4886/Fusion III
Right from the opening slide riff of "Woman in The Castle" you know that everything will be alright. There will always be room here for the Elmore James/J.B. Hutto/Hound Dog Taylor electric slide and Lil' Ed is easily its best current practitioner. Not all of these Blues Imperials have been with him since the car wash days 16 years ago (!) but half-brother James "Pookie" Young has been on bass from the beginning and Mike Garrett on rhythm guitar and Kelly Littleton on drums have been there for fourteen years. The experience shows. Imperial-in-training Paul Buschbacher, on rhythm guitar as well, is on board for three songs. There is plenty of variety here, courtesy of producer Bruce Iglauer, with the dance floor fillers mixed with some excellent slower dance tunes such as a "Black Nights" that Lowell Fulson would have been proud of; an original, "The Creeper", that builds wonderfully on the "It Hurts Me Too" tune and the dead slow "I Still Love You". "Lil' Ed's Home Cookin'" deserves special mention for its rocking, "Ooga Booga beat". Their "contagious wildness" comes to the Dollar on Thursday, August 8th.
When you flip over your copy of the CD, you'll see that it arrived at your store courtesy of Distribution Fusion III of Montreal, after many years with Warner Music of Canada and Fusion will be responsible for the entire catalogue from now on. We here at the Blues Society extend our best wishes to this new relationship. As usual, check out www.alligator.com for that catalogue of the finest in blues.
Mississippi Heat Footprints on the Ceiling Van der Linden VdR 104
Pierre Lacocque's amplified harp and vision guides The Heat in their devotion to Chicago Blues through their fifth CD. His Revue has had a stable lineup for a couple of years now with the exception of Inetta Visor, who takes over the vocal spot held by Katherine Davis and Dietra Farr. Chris Winters and Michael Thomas are on guitars and vocals; Roger Weaver, keyboards, Steve Howard, bass and Kenny Smith, drums form the rhythm section. This is the basic lineup you saw at the Dollar last month. For the new CD, the Revue has expanded to include some familiar names: Carl Weathersby, Billy Boy Arnold, Katherine Davis and Peter "Mudcat" Ward. In that sense, this album is a continuation of the last one, Handyman. Were it not for Lacocque's harp and excellent songwriting, such variety would tend to result in a serious lack of focus but with eleven of the fourteen songs his or partly his, he continues to solve the problem of the non-singing bandleader and create unmistakable Mississippi Heat CD's. Katherine Davis' two songs are a reminder of her contribution to the band and are a switch from her more jazz-oriented solo material. Carl Weathersby plays guitar throughout and has fine vocal performance on "Caribbean Sunshine". Billy Boy Arnold contributes several vocals and on "Hobo Blues", duets on acoustic harp with Lacocque's electric one. Newcomer Visor has two songs that hold up very well in this company. Chris Winters' "She's Got Everything" is much the same catchy uptempo rocker as "Handyman" was on the last album. If you didn't get a copy at the Dollar, you can go to www.mississippiheat.net.
I want to end on a note about a book this time. Jim Strecker has updated More Than A Blues Singer - Jackie Washington Tells His Story. Strecker has added three chapters of further conversations since the first edition was put out in 1988 and launched in town as a TBS event. It is published by Mini Mocho Press, Jackson Station, Box 57424, Hamilton Ontario, L8P 4X2
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
Toronto Blues Society Copyright _ 2002