October
2002
Diana Braithwaite Blues Dance Big City
The cover story told you a little bit about her and from an advance CDR, here's the word on the third album. First and foremost, for an album by a writer, the vocals are up front and centre, not buried in the mix, a failing too many submissions to this column share. She sounds a bit like a cross between Odetta and Nina Simone but with an urgency that both lack. Her long experience singing blues has ensured, however, that her new songs are grounded in real life. For the most part the songs are based on traditional blues structures, before some more experimental efforts. "Train" starts the CD off in high speed with Ed White and Alec Fraser driving everything before them. "Tow the Line" has a modified "Boom Boom" riff with new, ultimatum lyrics and some powerful Jack de Keyzer guitar work. Not surprisingly, he really shines on the minor key blues, "Grass is Greener" with Braithwaite's best lyrics. "Rockin' Nubian" is an even better rocker than "Train" with Jack on slide and "Boogie In The Country" is a Hooker boogie with, unusually, some appropriate new lyrics. The last two songs are more groove oriented, with "Groovy" a vehicle for a long improvisation by Dougie on tenor sax and he switches to flute for the title song, powered along by African percussion with multi-tracked vocals name checking the blues greats. Her website is just being completed so check www.geocities.com/dianabraithwaite and get ready for a great set at the Women's Blues Revue.
Michael Pickett Solo Wooden Teeth WTCD003/Festival
Solo is how you'll see Mr. Pickett performing these days but when the result has this much power and presence, I think you'll agree that this is the equal of his previous albums and a wise career move. With just guitar and harmonica assisting that remarkable voice, there is no place to hide and Pickett's performance is up to the challenge. It also concentrates attention on his guitar playing, something he's not generally known for. Beginning with an ode to his life and business partner, Louise, the CD puts traditional blues lyrics in a way that's completely up to date. Various influences, from Robert Johnson to Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee are incorporated but never copied, creating a seamless set list. Still, "Louise", "Blues is a Friend of Mine", the harmonica-only "Lose Your Money" are highlights and if "Cecil & Spadina", from Conversations, had not been included I would have had to burn a new disc! As usual, the website is www.michaelpickett.com.
The NorthernBlues Gospel Allstars
Saved NorthernBlues NBM0013/Festival
Label prez Fred Litwin has been talking about this one for a while now and I'm happy to report that his enthusiasm is fully justified. The Allstars are fronted by Danny Brooks, John Finley, Hiram Joseph and Amoy Levy and this project developed from Danny's Rockin' Revelators of recent live album fame. Finley is the Jon of Jon and Lee & The Checkmates from mid-60's Toronto R&B history and he was also in the legendary Rhinoceros with Michael Fonfara and Bob Yeomans, who are re-united on keyboards and guitar respectively on this wonderful CD (along with former Elektra Records producer Frazier Mohawk). Hiram Walker and Amoy Levy are newer on the scene, Walker a JUNO nominee with The People's Church and Levy the leader of the Youth Outreach Mass Choir. For readers here, Brooks' contributions are worth the price of the album alone with two excellent vocals and providing "24/7/365", easily the CD's highlight, with its jaw-dropping vocal from Amoy Levy. His "Righteous Highway" is pure country blues, slide guitar & all, with a gospel lyric. It's not that the other songs aren't good ones, they are, but Brooks' R&B roots are what puts this one in a blues magazine. Tim Drummond was Dylan's bass player during his "Christian" period and he co-wrote "Saved". Finley's songs are solo efforts of great tenderness but some of the other performances suffer from the kind of overwrought excess that must work much better in church than it does in a CD player. There's not too much of that here, though. We do need to hear more from Ms. Levy!
The Twisters Long Hard Road Full Swing FSRCD002
Harpman David "Hurricane" Hoerl's name has appeared in this column a few times but his main band is the Twisters. This is their second CD, although only drummer/guitarist Sandy "Bone" Smith remains from that lineup. The sound remains the same though: superior west coast jump blues. James Taylor is the new bassist and Brandon "Yukon Slim" Isaak, the new guitarist/drummer. A horn section appears on some songs and Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne adds keys. Also unlike the last one, the person contributing the song also sings it and while this is very democratic, all voices are not created equal and on this evidence, Hoerl's vocals are usually better. On Smith's songs, he plays guitar and sings and Isaak moves to drums and on Isaak's they switch back. Still the songs are good and the vocals serviceable. Smith's Junior Kimbrough-ish, doom-laden "It's Raining Baby" is very effective, with a nice tenor solo. "Zig Zag" is a very good harp-led instrumental from Hoerl and he takes the vocal on a fine version Percy Mayfield's "The Highway is Like a Woman" which also gets an excellent guitar solo from Isaak. Visit www.twisters.ca.
Jason Buie Urban Blues Sundown CD001
A veteran of the Yale Hotel blues scene in Vancouver, Buie has crafted a solid CD of modern electric blues. He does B.B., Albert, Ray, Hooker & T-Bone better than most and has a couple of originals to go along with Gordie Johnson's "100 Cigarettes". He's a pretty good singer as well and the band is very solid: Dave Webb, keys; Norm Fisher, bass; Al Webster, drums and a horn section on most cuts. In spite of the National steel cover art, only one song is acoustic, Big Bill Broonzy's "All By Myself", with Storman Norman himself on harp. Not a bad debut album. Visit www.jasonbuie.com.
Bryan Lee Six String Therapy Justin
Time JUST 185
One of the best titles in recent memory graces the new one from New Orleans guitar ace Lee, the "Braille Blues Daddy". It's also the title of one of its best songs, a slow blues that should become a classic. For his ninth album, he decided to ask Duke Robillard to produce and perform, with his band plus Sax Gordon. The result may be Lee's best one yet. It is virtually a history lesson in New Orleans blues and R&B, with great but obscure songs by Paul Gayten, Dave Bartholomew and Smiley Lewis. Freddy King, Jody Williams, B.B. King and Louis Jordan get filtered through this sound along with Lee's two originals.
Robillard's band plays these songs as well as Dave Bartholomew's famous band and having a guitarist like Lee around means Robillard could focus on the production. A keeper.
Shemekia Copeland Talking to Strangers
Alligator ALCD 4887/Fusion
Cephas & Wiggins Somebody Told the
Truth
Alligator ALCD4888/Fusion
Ms. Copeland's live shows already incorporate material from this one and Dr. John's involvement in front of and behind the controls helps push this effort to the next level of stardom. Top-flight material, both from her own team and from Dr. John, top-flight performances from an augmented road band and a polished production from the good doctor should keep this one in the Billboard blues charts for a while. This is tough, electric blues for concert venues, not small clubs. Cephas & Wiggins are almost at the other end of the scale with a quiet, acoustic album that extends their mastery of the Piedmont style, with new songs that compliment the more obscure traditional songs they've chosen. The title song, by Cephas, is an especially good example of this. One song that departs from the norm here is a live recording from a concert billed as "Masters of the Steel String Guitar". "Darkness on the Delta" features Wiggins with jazz guitarist Tal Farlow and a rhythm section. Beautiful.
Cedell Davis When Lightning Strikes the Pine/Fast Horse FH003
Crippled by polio, Davis can only play with a table knife as a slide on a self-tuned electric guitar but the blues he generates belies his infirmities. There were three Fat Possum albums a few years ago, the first one recorded by Robert Palmer, here he has eleven new songs, backed by a fairly large band that amazingly stays fairly close to Davis' erratic style and doesn't overwhelm him. His lyrics are from traditional
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
Toronto Blues Society Copyright _ 2002