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January
2005
I have always found a great deal to like on his earlier CDs but Chris has really outdone himself on this one. With the benefit of hindsight on those albums, he seemed all too aware
of how different his chosen styles of music were, to the point of having different, more appropriate, bands. Here he's decided to leave those concerns behind and let his natural vocal
carry all before it. He has also brought along two very important guests in
Curly Bridges and Diana Braithwaite who have figured prominently in his recent work. The result is a
masterful blend of styles and voices. In a program of expertly written or chosen songs, "Forgetful Baby", the duet with Bridges jumps out. This tale of infidelity unfolds dramatically in the
exchange between friends and the already stellar performance is capped with a magnificent slide guitar solo from Chris. Bridges also sings and plays piano on "Blues for Two", an exchange of
bad times stories that conveys its atmosphere perfectly. Braithwaite duets with Chris on the title song, over only a
John Lee Hooker-styled solo electric guitar. Chris' accustomed facility
on guitar, trumpet and harp is showcased throughout to great effect, with sons
Dan and Jesse assisting on guitars and keyboards. "Morning, Noon and Night" starts the CD off in 50's
blues mode with Diana's multi-tracked backup vocals and Chris' very electric guitar.
Big Bill Broonzy's "Any Old Way" brings out the trumpet and Dan's mandolin for a trad jazz
workout. "I've Got to Split" stays in a jazz vein with
John Deehan on tenor. "Quicksand" is pure
Jimmy Reed with Chris taking the Eddie
Taylor guitar part perfectly. This is another one
of Chris' best songs and Diana contributes the wonderful harmony vocal. A tender ballad "Guess This Really is Goodbye" leads to a horn-led
Percy Mayfield opus "Maybe It's
Because of Love". A latin-tinged original, "My Ex-Fiance Twice Removed" is followed by another jazz-blues, "Learnin' the Blues". "On My Way" leans to country before the title song takes us
out. Look for a Release Party next month.
This band's live shows are legendary and this CD proves it in a perfect way to end the band's brief hiatus. Recorded at last year's New Year's Eve Party at the Dollar, it shows the
band in full flight. John Mays is on vocals,
Al Lerman on harp & tenor sax, Teddy
Leonard on guitar (plus lead vocal on "Let's Have a Party),
Omar Tunnoch on bass and new member Hayden
Vialva on drums. They took the crowd then, and now they take you, on a 70-minute journey through the last three CDs (plus some new songs) to bring in this year in
rocking style. "Let the Goodtimes Roll" is not a plea to start off the program, it's a command! "Cockle Doodle-Do" I'm sure kept the dance floor full. New to CD are "Crawfishin'" and
Bobby Charles' "Why Are People Like That?" adding some more
Louis Jordan and then Junior Wells to the mix. Their own "Hard Times" and "Blue Water" are up next.
Keb' Mo''s "Am I Wrong" brings the tempo back up for "Number Nine Train", showing that the strong version on
Willie `Big Eyes' Smith's Bluesin'
It had a lot of preparation. One of my favourite
Fathead songs, "Somebody Else's But Mine" is up next and then things slow down once again with their "Same Old Thing". Mays gets a break for the rocking "Steak & Potatoes", giving us a
closer look at why these players win so many awards. More Bobby Charles via
Fats Domino with "Grow Too Old" is up next before the CD goes out with four Fathead compositions.
"Monkey Time", "Low Life", "Let's Have a Party" and "I Want You" leaving everyone exhausted. The official release is back at The Dollar on January 27. Check out their web site at
www.fathead.biz.
This veteran outfit's seventh album is a return to the songs that triggered their love of blues all those years ago. Barry was honoured this past September at
Lys Blues 2004 for his contributions to the Quebec blues scene over the past twenty-nine years. The bassist/vocalist is joined by some familiar names:
Andrew Cowan on guitar & vocals, Gordon
Adamson on drums & vocals and Jody
Golick on saxes & B3. A special guest is Talent Search winner
Bharath Rajakumar on harp & guitar. Some of these songs are probably your
favourites as well with "Dimples". "Hound Dog", "She's All Right" and more lovingly performed and beautifully recorded.
Percy Mayfield's "I Ain't Gonna Cry No More" gets a particularly
good performance, as does the Stephen Barry original, "There Was a Time". The other original gives the CD its title and it's a good instrumental written by Andrew Cowan. If you can't find
this one in stores, go to www.bros.ca.
New Artist of the year finalist Mason is the son of Dutch and has obviously been paying attention. There is nothing pretentious on this CD, just solid bar blues, the kind I can listen
to for hours on end. Mason has a wider vocal range than that of his father and his lead/rhythm guitar style is very much in the style of
Morgan Davis. With bass & drums, keyboards
or harp, Mason takes us through tight arrangements of thirteen originals that show how good the
Dutch Mason Blues Band is. Donnie
Muir is on organ, Bill Stevenson on
piano, Ainslie Jardine or Gary Potts on drums and
Noel Taussig on bass. Joe Murphy is on harp.
Carter Chaplin joins on guitar for the instrumental "Conversatin". The songs are
of uniformly high quality, on the standard themes but special mention goes to the autobiographical closer, "I'm Just a Man". If you can't find this one, go to
www.garrettmason.com.
Only label founder Bob Koester knows what's in his famous archive but if this is any indication, I hope this series goes on for a long time. Not just a solid sampling of blues
harmonica this _ it has some real finds: "Carey's Rhumba" is a track from an unfinished follow-up album from
Carey Bell, with Hubert Sumlin &
Eddie Taylor on guitars. Vocalist/guitarist
"Whiskey" Walto Pace, otherwise unknown, put down the traditional harp pieces "Fox Chase"/"Lost John" that have languished in the vaults since 1965. An outtake from
Magic Sam's West Side Soul features
Shakey Jake on harp, with Jimmy
Rogers' "That Ain't It" getting a marvelously idiomatic performance. There's more rare stuff I don't have room for plus
Mad Dog Davenport, Little Walter,
Big Walter, Little Sammy Davis &
Junior Wells. For all fans of blues harmonica, especially with the authoritative notes by
Scott Dirks, a co-author of "Blues With a Feeling, The Little Walter Story".
J.B. Hutto Stompin' at Mother Blues
Delmark DE-778/Festival
Some "new" J.B. tracks from the vaults here with his first session, recorded in 1966 at the now-defunct Mother Blues club in Chicago. Only one song from this session ended up
on Hawk Squat, released two years later. The CD also includes some outtakes from
Slidewinder from 1972. His nephew, Lil'
Ed, has modernized this style of slide guitar playing but
for fans of `50's & `60's blues, this is the real thing. At the time,
Hound Dog Taylor was J.B.'s only competition in this `slash & burn' school of blues. Bob Koester's memories of
catching the show at Theresa's are a nice addition.
John Lee Hooker Come See About Me Eagle EE 39029-2/EMI
Subtitled The Definitive DVD, it makes a serious claim to truthfulness in advertising. Running to more than two hours, you get videos of many of the performances from the
concluding phase of his career, the six albums that feature guests stars galore but also feature some of Hooker's best work. These sessions were Hooker's idea after all and the guests
reciprocated in kind. Bonnie Raitt's contribution to "I'm in the Mood", for instance, leaves one with no doubt whatsoever.
Van Morrison, Ry Cooder, Carlos
Santana and John Hammond are also in fine form. There is archival footage ("Maudie" from 1960) as well as tributes and testimonials to a great man's career. Extras include an interview with
John Lee Hooker, his daughter,
Zakiyah and a discography. This DVD is intended as a companion to
Face to Face, the CD Hooker was working on when he passed away. The two make for a valuable package.
- John Valenteyn,
jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
Chris Whiteley It's the Natural Thing to
Do Electro-Fi E-Fi 3387/Festival
Fathead Livelier Than Ever FH 1388/Festival
Stephen Barry Blues Band Bluesville
BROS-14003
Garrett Mason I'm Just a Man GM 1002
Various Artists This is Blues Harmonica-2
Delmark DE-780/Festival