August
2003
Big Dave McLean Blues from the
Middle Stony Plain SPCD 1290/Warner Music
"Blues from the middle" is from the middle of the country, Winnipeg, and proud of it. Blues certainly: from the time I heard his Live at Bud's cassette years ago I sensed that here was a performer with a special talent. That cassette is now finally available on CD and this new one is only his fourth in a career of some thirty years. "Muddy Waters for President" is on that first album and gets re-done here in a version that is at least as good and its lyrics are perhaps even more appropriate. It also points up his life long devotion to Muddy Waters & his music as four more of the songs here are by or about Muddy. "Sweet Della Jones" is a rocking original thanking Muddy's grandmother for her efforts in raising Muddy and the best song here, in my opinion, is the even more rocking "Lowdown Dirty Rotten Blues" a song of marital bliss which also quotes Muddy. The performances of "Trouble No More" and "Sugar Sweet" are among the many other highlights here. Songs that show he can do far more are the instrumental "B. Meets Bo", with McLean, Sue Foley and Duke Robillard on guitars; his solo vocal/National Steel on Bukka White's "Fixin' To Die" and a tremendous slow blues "St. Mary (At Main)". "Time Ticks On By" is another fine original that deserves wide exposure. The backing band here is a young Winnipeg band called the Perpetrators who play very well throughout. Sue Foley helps out on vocals as well on two more on an action-packed 14 tracker. May there now be many more!
Jimmy Bowskill Old Soul Bluestreak
Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne Blues Carry Me
Home Isabel IS-640201
The aforementioned Sue Foley is but one of the headliners for that convention of Canadian Blues known as the Southside Shuffle in Port Credit, September 5-7. These two are among the others acts you must see. Bowskill is now 12 years old with a reputation that has preceded him but that was as a guitarist prodigy. The first thing that will strike you here is the quality of his singing! This young voice is capable of pitch shadings that would be the envy of singers several times his age - an "old soul" indeed. You are very nicely set up on the first song, the Louis Armstrong/Louis Jordan duet "Life's so Peculiar" with Chuck Jackson taking the first part. The entry by Bowskill leaves no doubt that this is no novelty act. The song selection is nicely varied with seven of the fourteen titles written by Jimmy with one or the other of his parents. Acoustic blues like "Be Mine" mix with Chicago blues like Snooky Pryor's "Work `Til My Days Are Gone" which, in addition to being a very long time in his case, shows a tendency to yell some of the lyrics, a tendency that might eventually reduce those working days. "Honeybee" is a fine, original rocker and "Weekend Fish Fry" a fiddle-led old timey number. "Schoolhouse" features him on electric guitar and singing some lyrics that might surprise some of his teachers. "Livin' with the Blues" features Jimmy on acoustic guitar with Donnie Walsh on harp with a most satisfying vocal, adapting Brownie McGhee's lyrics nicely. Old Soul features the cream of local & Peterborough musicians and most should be on hand for his main stage show at the Shuffle. Check him out there and visit www.jimmybowskill.com.
Vancouver's Kenny Wayne records for Electro-Fi here but his work on a European tour backing Joe Louis Walker, supporting the Silvertone Blues CD, impressed promoters sufficiently to book him for his own tour and this accompanying CD. Wayne had just met an old childhood friend and drummer, Henry Avery, who was available to tour; Chicago stalwart Will Crosby took the guitar chair and fellow Vancouverite Russell Jackson was there to play bass. This impressive lineup does not disappoint. "Parisian Stomp" opens the proceedings with Wayne's post-Amos Milburn styled boogie piano and in the next song, "Wine, Beer and Whiskey", he updates that sound with a fine funky arrangement. He also updates the lyrics with a most un-Milburn like turn on what those substances can do to you. "You're Spoiled Rotten" returns to the boogie with another tale of a blissful relationship. These European recordings tend to be too low key and for the songs to go on for too long ("How Long Blues") but on others like "Blues Carry Me Home" & "Amazing Boogie by the Riverside" some wonderful things happen. While this is a worthwhile addition to Wayne's discography, it's an expensive import and his Electro-Fi CD's are not. Check out the Southside Shuffle's website at www.southsideshuffle.com and www.kennybluesboss.com.
Rockit 88 Band Too Much Fun 7 Arts/Fusion III
This is the quartet version of Bill King's Saturday Night Fish Fry. With King is Neil Chapman on guitar, Artie Roth on bass and Kevan MacKenzie on drums and while their sound in some respects matches the retro look of the cover, they mostly play contemporary rocking blues, honed during a six month stay at RD's. The retro part is that, as with the Fish Fry, most of these songs date from the fifties, the modern part is the arrangements, led by Chapman's guitars and the rhythm section. The songs here are mostly blues as opposed to the R&B of the Fish Fry and are masterfully re-lived. In no small measure, this is due to King's vocals and his choice of an acoustic piano. His experience with and enthusiasm for these songs shines through on every song. From "(My Eyes) Keep Me In Trouble" & "Can't Stop Lovin'" to "Too Much Fun" & "Bon Ton Roulay" to "Crazy For My Baby" & "Dust My Broom" the exciting playing never stops. Visit www.7artsmusic.com.
Nanette Workman Vanilla Blues
Café BROS 13001
The follow-up to her much-praised Roots `N' Blues CD rocks loud and hard. From "Hound Dog Man", from the team of Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman, to her original "Vanilla Blues Café, the enthusiasm and professionalism that Quebec's "Mississippi Queen" brings to her work shines through. As co-producer, with Rene Moisin, she has assembled a stellar lineup that varies as needed from song to song and in fact the player list requires an entire page. Jimmy James just wails on the opener and Jim Zeller takes the solo honours on harp on Workman's "Beau Romeo", another fine rocker. Jimmy Page & Robert Plant's "Walking Into Clarksdale" seems written for her vocals (and background) and she also does a fine job on the Moman/Penn classic, "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man", which features a stunning guitar solo from the young Thomas Chapland. Bryan Adams' "Rock Steady" may seem an unlikely highlight for this column but this duet with Eric Lapointe cooks just fine. Now all we have to do is get her back here to sing the new songs. Until then, check out www.bros.ca.
Michael Burks I Smell Smoke Alligator ALCD 4892/Fusion III
This second effort from Arkansas native and guitar slinger Burks is aimed directly at the numerous fans of the late Luther Allison and I hope it succeeds. Jim Gaines is on board to help with the production and the band is the same lineup: rhythm guitar (the excellent Vasti Jackson), keyboards, bass & drums. It opens magnificently with Dion Payton's "All Your Affection is Gone", one of my favourite contemporary blues.
Burks' own "Time I Came out of the Rain" is a fine slow blues. "Hard Love" picks up the pace beautifully and it doesn't stop with "Miss Mercy", an original about a bootlegger. Modern soul is up next with Latimore's "Let the Doorknob Hit You", another song of marital bliss. Another original, "I Hope He's Worth My Pain", shows his continuing debt to Albert King, especially in his vocals. "Snake Eggs" is a tough closing song: just Burks' heavily amplified guitar and Billy Gibbons on harp behind some down home lyrics. Good songs, great guitar, get it.
Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets Which Way Is Texas? Bullseye 9619/Universal
It's been quite a while between albums for this stellar ensemble but I'm pleased to report that all is well. The guitarist/leader & vocalist duo of Anson & Sam Myers has been one of the best success stories of recent years and while Sam's name does not feature on this advance CD ahead of their Bluesfest appearance, the opening "Can We Get Together" shows him to be in fine voice. The song selection clearly says that this is the way to Texas with a cross-section of Texas blues styles with a horn section on the opener and on the organ-led instrumental "Going My Way?".
Some Texas soul turns up with "Don't Turn This Child Away From Heaven" and Louisiana blues with Tabby Thomas' "Hoodoo Party". No mention here of who the current Rockets are but they acquit themselves admirably. Buy with confidence.
Guy Davis Chocolate to the Bone Red House RHR 164
Davis continues his celebration of pre-war, acoustic blues on his sixth CD. As with the others, this is not a museum tour but a re-creation: older songs are adapted to suit his needs and new ones written to fit the themes. Sleepy John Estes' "Limetown" has some new lyrics and a claw-hammer banjo added to the mandolin/guitar backing of the original. "Right On Time", an original, is dedicated to Furry Lewis and deals with the theme of railroads and timepieces. The best example might be Ishman Bracey's "Saturday Blues". This was the first record issued by this semi-obscure bluesman in 1928 and this performance has some wonderful tuba (by Howard Johnson), bass, drums and Davis' guitars. It's true to the spirit of the original and completely modern at the same time. Check out www.redhouserecords.com.
Floyd Lee Ain't Doin' Nothin' Wrong Amogla
Veteran Harlem bluesman Lee (he's almost 70) has just released his second CD. It's a little like the Fred James projects out of Nashville except this time the sensitive producer/guitarist is Joel Poluck. The result is pretty much the same too: an excellent but long overdue recording for a very deserving musician. He's in fine, raspy voice and occasionally straps on his own guitar. He writes and performs in a traditional style and some of the songs are not all that original but some are very good indeed: "Red Sun", with its Hill Country sound or the anti-drug lyrics of "Crack Alley" to name but two. Check out www.amoglarecords.com for more info.
More on Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues A Musical Journey:
The PBS series will run on consecutive nights starting Sunday, September 28. The DVD's, in a box set only for now, are written in for a September 9 release along with the soundtrack CD's of each. These will have much newly recorded material. As part of the Year of the Blues, a great deal of older material will also see release: The Story of the Blues, originally a much-praised 2-LP set accompanying the book of the same name from 1969, is out now on Sony. It has updated notes from its compiler, the great Paul Oliver. Two famous DVD's get wider release this month: Robert Mugge's Deep Blues charting the journey of the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart and the late Robert Palmer through the Delta and Peter Meyer's Can't You Hear the Wind Howl? -The Life and Music of Robert Johnson featuring a large cast of performers and hosted by Danny Glover. Later this month come DVD's from The American Folk Blues Festival. These annual tours began in 1962 and some of the concerts were broadcast on European television. These will feature the only known video or film of many blues artists - more in the next column.
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
Toronto Blues Society Copyright _ 2003