August
2004
Various Artists Red, White &
Blues Sony TVK 24183
This eminently worthwhile project is part of a Canada Day theme, paired with an all- Canadian pop/rock album. Producers Tiffany St-Germain, Brian Slack and Diane Vivares have prepared an extremely useful cross-section of our blues scene. On one CD you get Downchild, Jack de Keyzer, Powder Blues, David Gogo, Jimmy Bowskill, Dawn Tyler Watson Blues Project, Long John Baldry, Morgan Davis, Ellen McIlwaine, Fathead, Kenny "Blues Boss' Wayne, Dutch Mason, King Biscuit Boy, Sue Foley and Rita Chiarelli! In the case of Sue Foley you get a preview of her next CD, an acoustic one recorded at Hugh's Room last December, that'll be out at the end of the month. "Bad Luck Woman" finds her at her Memphis Minnie finest and on this evidence, Change will be a winner for sure. For all the others, the songs chosen show them at the top of their game. From Jimmy Bowskill's "Be Mine" right through to Rita Chiarelli's "Tupelo", with Colin Linden one hour later, the quality of performances jumps out at you. All the songs are taken from currently available albums so get this one and spend some time searching out more of your favourites. Biscuit's "Going To The River" may take more searching than the others because it's an outtake from the aka Richard Newell LP that's only on Stony Plain's 25th Anniversary package. The more you search and ask the more retailers will realize there's a market for homegrown blues. Do it and tell all your friends.
Jeff Healey Adventures in
Jazzland HealeyOphonic HOP38000/Trend
Terra Hazelton Anybody's Baby HealeyOphonic HOP 38001/Trend
Healey and his Jazz Wizards are featured on their own in mostly traditional jazz settings that were it not for Healey's presence would probably be left to other publications. Ms. Hazelton, however, puts down a number of fine blues backed by much the same players. She's chosen classic blues and early R&B, songs made famous by such as Bessie Smith, Dinah Washington and Julia Lee from an era where many of the songs were not that much different in style from the pop songs of the day. On this CD "Sugar Blues", "Let's Do It", "Long John Blues", "Take It Right Back" and "The Spinach Song" are special treats.
She shares with Alex Pangman, the singer in an earlier Healey trad jazz band, an uncanny ability to sing this material and make it sound right. She has added a generous helping of of her own brand of enthusiasm: "On Revival Day", that I know from Bessie Smith's recording, Hazelton's vocal jumps out of the speakers, making Smith's version sound almost tame by comparison. The Jazz Wizards are a different group now, with veteran US guitarist Marty Grosz joining the sessions.
Healey's love of this music shines through in his warm vocals on Adventures and he plays guitar, trumpet and valve trombone with Tom Fletcher adding cornet and Vince Giordano, bass saxophone. Drew Jurecka, a young violinist, is the newest addition to the Wizards and he contributes effectively to two songs on Adventures and one on Anybody's Baby. Two of Hazelton's three originals depart from this style, "Anybody's Baby" is a fine modern blues but with Healey on his heavily-amped guitar leading an electric band this presents a very different sound. "Long as I'm Movin'" is a rockabilly effort that doesn't quite work for me. Her "Now and Then", though, fits perfectly so maybe her songwriting points the way out of this conundrum. I, for one, eagerly await the next one.
JP LeBlanc Take Me Back JPBlues-2003/Festival
Word of this 18-year-old has spread from Bathurst, NB, with the young man being touted as the next Stevie Ray Vaughan and the opening "Black Cat" indicates he`s got that sound pretty well covered. Fortunately, he goes on to show himself to be quite an original songwriter, especially for blues ballads. The title song has a sense of dynamics that other new artists would do well to copy, not to mention the downplaying of the guitar playing and the emphasizing of the vocals. "24/7" keeps the tempo up with some excellent piano from Johnny "Porco" Theodore and harp from mentor & veteran Joe Murphy, who also adds guitar and accordion throughout. Murphy's gig at Your Father's Moustache in Halifax provided the incubator for this young man. "Velvet Paintings" is the unlikely title for an electric slide-led ballad but the paintings are all that's left after she leaves. "I Think it Was Love" is just Murphy's harp and acoustic guitars, very effective. "Ticket Smile" is a sharp rocker with the rest of the line being `With a ticket smile she's getting a free ride'. There's plenty of guitar as well here, especially on "What's It Gonna Be". Beautifully recorded by CBC Radio Maritimes, this one's a very promising debut-may there be many more.
Floyd Lee Full Moon Lightnin' Amogla AR003
As promised in the review of an earlier CD, veteran Harlem blues man Lee has recorded back in Mississippi, having left there some sixty years ago. Producer/guitarist Joel Poluck, himself transplanted from Sault Ste Marie, arranged for legendary drummer Sam Carr to be on hand and Brad Vickers rounded out the lineup on bass. Recorded on that trip was the title song, then known as "Willow Tree Blues" and written by Poluck. Documentary producer John Gardiner heard the song and arranged for a return visit with a camera crew. This time they visited ex-Squirrel Nut Zipper Jim Malthus at the former WROX in Clarksdale, now his new studio, and recorded (and filmed) the rest of the album. Poluck mentions in the notes that this CD completes a trilogy with Lee and you'd be hard pressed to pick a favourite among the three. This one cannot have been recorded any other place, it literally oozes Delta with its live off the floor sound. There are perhaps a few too many standards here for us this far from Clarksdale (this is what you hear in Delta jukes) but the title song, "Lights Out" also written by Poluck and Blind Boy Fuller's "You're So Sweet" are very good indeed. As is "Key to the Highway", with its nod to Little Walter's famous version. A longer, live version of "Mean Blues", the title song from Lee's first CD, is included here both in audio and video as a sampler from the forthcoming DVD. All three CDs are available from www.amoglarecords.com and you should not miss an opportunity to hear this grizzled veteran sing the blues. There is only a little more information about him here, in that he has pursued his own path, surfacing from the rent party & street gig scene to play with Jimmy Reed and Wilson Pickett. It would appear that he's somewhat like Sterling MaGee, Satan, of Satan and Adam fame but a lot less visible. Thanks to Joel Poluck we can all see and hear him now.
Kyle Riabko Kyle Riabko Aware CEPK 91906/Sony
The young man this time is from Saskatoon and his festival debut here has to wait a little longer. Slated to open for Jimmie Vaughan and Lyle Lovett at the Bluesfest, the visibility that this gig would have meant has to be considered a serious loss. On the strength of this mini-CD, he's a blue-eyed soul singer with a bright future. He also handles guitar, keyboards & programming and wrote or co-wrote the seven songs. They are all very contemporary in sound and "Estrogen" shows he's certainly in the right business!
Carey & Lurrie Bell Second Nature Alligator ALCD 4898/Fusion
A 1991 winter tour of Finland supplies the performances on this second acoustic blues CD in as many months from Alligator. The harp/guitar duo this time is the father & son Bells rather than Kenny Neal and Billy Branch but if you liked that one, this one'll do just fine too. Again, the program is a mix of originals and standards but the acoustic setting allows maximum emotion, intimacy and flexibility. Lurrie's acoustic fretwork is especially impressive throughout. Perhaps the weather brought out the best in everyone but it was certainly a fortuitous decision to record this CD and our Finnish friends are to be congratulated. "Got to Leave Chi-Town" and "Heartaches and Pain" shine in this setting but "Do You Hear?" climaxes the CD perfectly with its wonderful harp work and vocal from Carey.
Gary U.S. Bonds Back in 20 M.C. 0052/Festival
A great slab of roadhouse blues a la Delbert McClinton here with a crack band that uses that name. There's a big fat horn sound, some very good original songs and, oh yes, some old friends. The title refers to Bonds' recording schedule _ every twenty years or so. He calls around and Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny show up. Phoebe Snow and Dickie Betts come along and before you know it there's a pretty good CD. The Roadhouse Rockers do a very good E Street Band imitation and "Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks" is a truly fine CD opener. The "duet" with Phoebe Snow, "Bitch/Dumb Ass", has them trading stories about their partners or is it their pets? It's been a long time since "Quarter to Three" but when he says `back in 20', you better believe him.
Ruthie Foster Stages
Blue Corn BCM 0403/Festival
Ms. Foster will be appearing at Hugh's Room on Aug. 19 and at Summerfolk starting the next day. I can think of no better introduction to this Texas performer than this generous, 75-minute live CD, recorded at various venues earlier this year and last. Her repertoire is eclectic to say the least, but what impresses more is her ability to sing everything so well. She has tremendous power and range and her talent encompasses both. The opening "Ocean of Tears", I believe first recorded by Big Maybelle, gets a violin/cello accompaniment that beautifully sets off her blues vocals. The Sam Cooke-styled original "Another Rain Song", "God Bless the Child" and the traditional gospel song "Death Came a Knockin' (Travelin' Shoes)" provide more examples of an artist who can absorb any style without in any way sounding imitative. John D. Loudermilk, of "Tobacco Road" fame, wrote "Turn Me On" and Foster's performance provides another one of the blues highlights here. The song introductions reveal a talented storyteller as well, especially "Church", which is the lengthy intro to Brownie McGhee's "Walk On". She's accompanied throughout by her partner Cyd Cassone on vocals and percussion and, on the CD, another guitarist and percussionist. Foster is not yet a major label artist but this is a major production and it will send you after her earlier albums. Enjoy.
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
Toronto Blues Society Copyright _ 2004