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November 2006

Sue Foley Live in Europe-DVD Ruf/Universal

Two shows for the price of one! The main one, a kick-ass set of thirteen songs from the Underground in Koln, Germany last December, includes four that would be on New Used Car. A bonus is eight songs from a show earlier in the year in Amsterdam that features electric versions of songs from Change. She has a different band behind her for each but she is in particularly good form throughout. The first show has Tom Bona on drums, Michael Turenne on bass and Graham Guest on keyboards, the band that rocked our Birthday Party. Three of her trademark instrumentals are here and a delightful version of Precious Bryant's "Fool Me Good", the original of which she had included on her Blues Guitar Women compilation. Another highlight is Willie Dixon's "Same Thing" but the solo closer, "Gone Blind", an original from Young Girl Blues on Antone's gets a truly impassioned performance. Fortunately on DVD you can take a break and go to the second show when you're ready! That second show is with Billy McClelland on drums and Michael Briault on bass. American Lisa Otay guests on keyboards for most of this set. The highlights here are Slim Harpo's "Queen Bee" and the five songs from Change. The show is beautifully shot and crisply edited by Christian Wagoner and in DTS 5.1 sound. One hundred and thirty-six minutes of pure pleasure, including an informative interview segment. The web sites to stay in touch: www.suefoley.com and www.guitarwoman.com.

The Twisters After The Storm NorthernBlues/Festival

After the most tumultuous year any band could go through, The Twisters have bounced back. The kind of accident that is the nightmare of every band on the road is detailed in the notes and it's a pleasure to report that the new line-up and this CD is as every bit as good as they believe it is. Keith Picot on bass fiddle joined the band, with a recovered Matt Pease on drums, and a week of gigs was set up at guitarist Brandon Isaak's brother's club in Whitehorse. Chris Isaak also has a studio there and while it seems improbable, the chemistry was there and was captured. Dave `Hurricane' Hoerl, now the only original member, concludes the CD with a heartfelt performance of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Bye Bye Bird", dedicated to James Taylor, the longtime bassist who did not survive the accident. Before you get to that song, though, there are some great new songs to launch the next chapter. "Harp Player" is the only song I can recall about the role of the harp player in blues and it's very effective. "Thick Or Thin" is a rocker that may well be about the band and both feature Kenny `Blues Boss' Wayne tickling the ivories in his unmistakable fashion. "Button Up" slows the pace down slightly with a lyric that Sonny Boy himself might have written, and Hoerl's harp solo makes the connection explicit. Marvelous stuff. "Nobody" and "When Your Memory Goes Away" move away from their jump/blues sound and into new territory, "Nobody" being a foray into more funky, more electric sound and "Memory" more pop-oriented. Now with North American availability through NorthernBlues, the future looks bright. You can keep track at www.twisters.ca.

Charlie A'Court Bring on the Storm 6K7/Fusion

This is a huge step forward for this young Nova Scotian, a modern blues-based effort, full of original songs that should appeal to many tastes. He came here to record and with an A-list of players: Kevin Breit, Gary Craig, Dennis Keldie and Marc Rogers. Suzie Vinnick leads a team of backing vocalists that includes Amoy Levy & Ciceal Levy. Danny Greenspoon put it all together. Everyone takes care to let A'Court and his songs shine and three of them will appeal to readers here. "Isolation Blues" is as close to straight ahead blues as there is, the isolation coming from growing up unloved. Of the two others, "Big Dark Canyon" is an essay on the gulf between youthful innocence and a wife abuser and a derelict (with nice B.B. King-style guitar); and this particular "Broken Man" seems to have trouble coping with modern society. The other songs are aimed at radio and the title song & "Seeing You Around" might even make it. There's also a very good rendering of Otis Redding's "Dreams To Remember". A'Court has all the necessary tools, I hope he has a great future. His web site is www.charlieacourt.com.

Cheryl Lescom High Heeled Blues flamingcheese/Festival

Ms. Lescom has the best album of her 30-year career here. Jack de Keyzer produced and played his slash & burn guitar and the two of them bring a lot of friends along. The Kitchener-based blues belter has a ready-made players in John Lee & Jimmy Boudreau from the Homewreckers along with Jay Walsh on bass. Things get under way smartly with the title song, a performance that brings back memories of great singles on the radio. For the B-Side, I would choose the ultimatum song, "Walk Out the Door If You Wanna", with Chuck Jackson guesting as the husband who wants to go out with the boys. Jack wrote a song remembering London's "Firehall" club that features Mr. Downchild, Donnie Walsh on harp. He stays on for a song he wrote, "I Can't Stand It" with Jack on slide. Ms. Lescom's blues/country voice carries all before it. Other highlights include "Good Day For The Blues", powered by Jack's slide and Matt Minglewood's rocker "Beg Borrow and Steal" with the horns riding over John Lee's B3. The large band stays on but the pace slows beautifully for a great arrangement of "Drowning on Dry Land". Shawn Kellerman adds his slide to the quartet for the lovely ballad, "Baby's Crying". It's a fine closer. www.cheryllescom.com is the web site.

Harry Manx Dog My Cat Dog My Cat/Fusion

No, your memory is not failing you, Manx's new CD is his first CD, with a spiffy new cover and in remixed sound but otherwise identical. I guess he wants to have all his music available through his own label and if you don't have this yet, it's a good one to get. On his later CDs he could depart significantly from the blues, not here.

Chuck Jackson Comfy Cosy CJ

It's easy to feel like a slacker when you observe that the lead singer for Downchild and the artistic director of the Southside Shuffle Festival still has time to put together such an excellent CD for his solo career. He has also written a sterling new song to launch his jazzier sound, "Comfy Cosy". The piano/tenor sax team of Tyler Yarema or Mike Fonfara and Pat Carey move in this field with confidence as do bassist Garth Vogan and drummer Mark Mariash. Chuck has also re-arranged "House of the Rising Sun" in this new jazz style and it's a treat to hear it without an obvious reference to the hit by The Animals. Nonetheless, 6:30 later it has similarly built up a roaring head of steam. Fonfara provides the piano pyrotechnics here. "Proud Mary" rams Ike & Tina and Professor Longhair together with Chris Kenny supplying the duet vocal with Gene Hardy & Chris Whiteley added to the horn section. The arrangement and its performance won't quite make you forget Ike & Tina, but it's close enough. Wynonie Harris' hit "Bloodshot Eyes" comes closest to the Downchild sound and Chuck doesn't drop the ball, this one smokes! In the context of this new style, Paul Butterfield's arrangement of Nat Adderley's "The Work Song" is a natural choice, with Chuck's Butterfield-like harp intro acknowledging the debt. Oscar Brown Jr.'s lyrics get a masterful treatment from Chuck. His version of the Broadway standard "My Baby Just Cares For Me" won't displace Nina Simone's or more locally, that by Sophie Milman. He does much better with "Rainy Night in Georgia", the Tony Joe White hit so beloved by many, including Otis Rush. Chuck and the band pull out all the stops here, with female vocal chorus and Whiteley on pedal steel. Chuck's ballad style is one I've not heard before.

Smoke Wagon Blues Band And Friends SWBB

This Hamilton-based band has been active for almost ten years and this is their fourth CD. Cory Lueck handles vocals & harp and he's an excellent singer, reminding me very much of Lee McBee or Omar Dykes. Mike Stubbs is on guitar; Scott Pritchard, piano, Skot Silverthorn, bass and Gavin Robertson, drums. This time out they've invited some friends, one of whom, James Anthony, has moved the band to another level by handling the production chores. The thirteen songs, all but two band originals, cover what they describe as "R&B, Chicago, New Orleans, Country Jesus Hill Billy Canadian Blues". They are a blues band though and you will be delighted with the mix of styles. This group likes to use western imagery and going to "Dawson City" for the gold rush is a recurring theme. James Anthony rips a great slide solo on this little rocker. Natasha Roganovic duets on a cooking updating of Casey Bill Weldon's "Somebody Done Changed The Lock on my Door" before we move on to a tasty country blues original, "Lonesome Whistle Blues". Other guests include Sonny Del-Rio on sax, and Jesse O'Brien, another King Biscuit Boy alumnus on piano. Check out "Ain't No Use" for O'Brien's piano and Lueck's great vocal. Don't take the CD out of the payer too soon or you'll miss another acoustic gem. Go to www.smokewagonbluesband.com.

William Clarke The Early Years Volumes 1 & 2 Watch Dog

The late blues harp ace took the best of Little Walter, Big Walter and George `Harmonica' Smith and added to it, playing with a fat, rich tone and great inventiveness. On stage this large man gave his all, an impossibly energetic performance every night that everyone knew could not last and it's been ten years now since he passed away. His four Alligator CDs plus the Deluxe Edition will always be there to remind us of what we lost but there were albums before those. Clarke's wife, Jeanette, has re-issued one already plus Live in Germany and a DVD but decided to release these compilation CDs next. They collect singles, LP tracks and songs from tapes found in a drawer to create both a comprehensive overview of Clarke's development as a player & singer and they provide a fascinating glimpse into that Los Angeles-area blues music scene. Volume 1, 1978-1985, features the "Teenage Girl"/"Teardrops Fallin'" single with Clarke backing Smith and six songs from the LP Hittin' Heavy when the band had Hollywood Fats on guitar. There's also a previously unreleased song backing Smokey Wilson. Volume 2 adds more George Smith and Clarke accompanying Johnny Dyer. Clarke's own songs are why you'd want these and the compilation approach allows for more variety. "Hittin' Heavy", "Give Me Back Wig", "The Feeling's Gone" and the slow "Bloody Tears on my Pillow" show Clarke at his finest. If you enjoy those Alligator CDs, you should go after these. The William Clarke Tribute site is www.angelfire.com/blues/williamclarke.

- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com

 

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