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September
2007
Danny
Brooks No Easy Way Out
Rockin' Camel
For a man whose passion has been the music of the American South, recording there with this crew must have been a dream come true. Some names you may be familiar with are David Hood on bass, Bonnie Bramlett on back up vocals and Spooner Oldham the keyboard player and contributing writer to many of the songs we remember. But the main name here is Johnny Sandlin, the producer and at whose Duck Tape Studios in Alabama the sessions took place.
Those of you familiar with Danny's last two albums will know what to expect here, with catchy new songs firmly in that southern tradition. Having said that, the opening song is a heartfelt paean to all the fine music he's seen and heard here in Toronto, from the Colonial days to the present.
If I were to choose a single from the album it would be "Bama Bound", an anthemic rocker that would make Springsteen proud. The title track is a solid blues, extolling the virtues of hard work over easy expectations. A fine new song that captures how he sees his faith is called "Where Sinners and Saints Collide", the idea for which came to him at the Blind Boys of Alabama/Susan Tedeschi show at Massey Hall recently. "All God's Children" takes its cue from the Percy Sledge songbook, about a waitress who was probably not as happy as she seemed. "Lonesome Road", with its bluesy title and instrumentation, builds to the gospel intensity that a couple of the others songs have as well, "Miracles for Breakfast" and "Carry Me Jesus".
There really aren't any weak songs here and you'll be humming a couple of them long after, as I was. The playing is stellar, with drummer Billy Stewart deserving special mention. There are far too many players here to credit them all but Danny's raspy vocals, guitar and harp are front and center, as they must be and deserve to be. Rockin' Camel is a new US company that has been advertising this album and a number of others in the blues press all summer. I hope his new availability will be a huge career jump. The music here is certainly worth it. Danny's CD launch is at Hugh's Room on Thursday, September 6th.
Ken
Whiteley One World Dance
Borealis/Koch
An ambitious new release with some fabulous songs, and things get under way smartly with "Everybody Has The Blues", a slow blues patterned after Memphis Slim. The phrase comes from Willie Dixon and Ken's vocal successfully conveys the sense of universality. It also has a great Amos Garrett guitar solo. "Get At" has a clever John Lee Hooker-flavoured guitar riff that Ken came up with and plays.
The title comes from the line 'What do you do to get at what's really bugging you'. For "Getting To Be", Ken writes at some length that it's based on a twelve bar blues but it is a lovely jazz ballad with a delightful piano solo from Joe Sealey. "Lunch Counter Encounter" is a swing blues written with Eve Goldberg, with more Joe Sealey and an excellent duet vocal from Tabby Johnson. Ken is solo next, on his National Steel, with a terrific "Death Letter Blues" that owes much to Son House. At song number seven, "Two Wings" marks a belated appearance of a gospel song on a Ken Whiteley album, but it's a good one, as is "That's When I Need A Song", which so effectively describes that feeling that I'm sure will turn up frequently on other people's song lists soon.
"One World Dance" purposely fuses styles with steel drums, Latin percussion and mariachi horns. "Trying to Find my Way" does the same thing but over a blues/gospel structure, with Ken on dobro, Garrett on electric, Mark Mosca on steel drums and Mario del Monte on percussion. Also added are the gospel vocals of Amoy Levy and Ciceal Levy. This second one seems the more effective of the two although a great deal is happening at once and the new combination of sounds will take some getting used to. Ken writes that the album was originally intended to be all blues/world fusion, it seems a wise move to do it this way instead as even these two will take a while to digest. "Still Can't Believe You're Gone", "November" and "That's Alright" are all from the folk side of the line but beautiful nonetheless.
Added to the blues and jazz, the result may make for a more conventional album, but with songs of this quality it would have been a shame to do without them. Bucky Berger and Victor Bateman are the rhythm section, with Sarah McElcheran and Colleen Allen on trumpet & tenor sax. They'll be on hand for the official release at Hugh's Room on September 27th.
Jerome
Godboo Humdinger Self
Taking time off from Brokenjoe, Godboo's new one shares that band's slimmed down sound. Shawn Kellerman is on guitar here, with Alec Fraser on bass and Al Cross on drums.
There is a lovely, intimate ambience here with the feeling that these are four friends who just set up in your rec room to play some new songs for you. And the songs are a well-sequenced selection of modern electric blues. "Humdinger" is well chosen as the title, a simple love song with a catchy melody. "Janey Jane" has that early Fabulous Thunderbirds doing Jerry McCain vibe. "Wounded Healer" is a slow blues that features a monster guitar solo from Kellerman. "Don't Cry Baby" is the one cover and Godboo shines on its tighter constraints.
One gets the impression that the originals change dramatically from one performance to the next. The other slow blues, "Mother", has Godboo taking a phone call and hearing she has cancer. He transforms the song with her desire that the world become a better place for her children. "Deep Sea Diver" is a fitting conclusion, with its fine ensemble work. Jerome is in excellent voice and this is one fine band, with Kellerman being especially inventive.
Joe Toole, incidentally, did all the artwork. You can catch up with Jerome at his web site, www.jeromegodboo.com, where his dates are listed. The CD Release Party is at Healeys on September 14th. The dates there include those for Jerome and Brokenjoe at the Southside Shuffle.
Tim
Williams Songster, Musicianer, Music
Physicianer Cayuse/Festival
The title invites you beyond the blues, and once again there are songs that make the trip worthwhile. It seems Mr. Williams has chosen the title because most of his new songs are not from or based on songs from the pre-war era he loves so well. If any evidence of this love was needed, you need only check out the Highwater Jug Band (Hoodoo/Festival) to see how much fun he and his friends can have! His own last album, Passing Through Here, was a collection drawn from his earlier work. What he wants to do now is comment on the world around him, which often requires different musical accompaniments.
The terms in the title were in fact used to describe the roots musicians of one hundred years ago. "Seven Hours Behind" takes pride of place, written right after 9/11 while Williams was in Great Britain. It's a reaching out to a loved one so far away at such a time, sung over just a finger picked acoustic guitar. It's worth the price of the album all by itself. Rather more mundane but equally effective, "(Her and Me) We Got A Thing" is a warning to the singer on the bandstand who's interested in his partner. Set to the "Help Me" riff, it features fine band playing and Williams on acoustic slide. The music physicianer in him takes on Fred McDowell with a rocking version of "Shake 'Em On Down". One more highlight, "Midnight in Memphis" finds him alone again, crossing into R&B territory with some fine keyboard work from Ron Casat. The web site is www.go.to./twillaimsblues.com.
Steve Grisbrook Blue Sneakers Self
A familiar name steps out. Steve Grisbrook hosted a jam at Grossman's for ten years, fronted Blue Sneakers and then Midnite Walk, a band that has put out a couple of CDs. He's played guitar on Gary Kendall's Dusty & Pearl and Elyssa Mahoney's Try to See me Like That, among others.
With one exception, the band behind Grisbrook includes Michael Fonfara on keys, Garth Vogan on bass and Gary Taylor on drums. He has a fine singing voice, especially on the faster songs, like "Shake It Up" which features some fine harp by Danny B and "Winning Ticket". Jimmy Reed's "She's Fine" gets a nice workout, with Pat Carey as the sax section but why the vocal is recorded through a telephone is beyond me. "Blue Shutters" is a nice slow blues that features another of his current groups, The Niagara Rhythm Section: Steve Goldberger, Joe Ingrao, Dave Norris and Penner MacKay.
This band is also scheduled at The Southside Shuffle. The rest of the songs seem to be aimed at Adult Contemporary radio, which lends an almost schizophrenic quality to the CD. His web site is www.stevegrisbrook.com.
Ricky
PaquetteLivePreservation/Fusion 3
Young Mr. Paquette's second disc is from last year's Festival International de Jazz De Montreal. He was sixteen then and from the sound of the audience he was quite an attraction for the girls of his age group. He is a natural showman and he can really play the licks that are on the studio album, not always a truism. Unfortunately, almost all of the songs on that first CD are present here.
The band here smokes and Dawn Tyler Watson guests on "Georgia on my Mind" and "Schoolboy Blues", his best original on the earlier CD.
Bettye
LaVette The Scene of the Crime
ANTI/Epitaph
With two new accolades just this month, courtesy of Living Blues Magazine, added to the many, Ms. LaVette can look at things a little differently.
There is always though the problem of the next album. It was thought that alt rockers The Drive By Truckers would make an interesting match in the search to repeat or even exceed the success of I've Got My Own Hell To Raise. Oddly enough, only the first song reminds one of that. The rest of the CD draws us to the song selection. Ms. LaVette could sing the phone book if asked and the only thing that bothers her here is that some of the song lines have too many words and hence not enough room for her skills. There are some very good ones.
"Choices" is simply marvelous for the wisdom and maturity she brings to her interpretation. The bluesy "You Don't Know Me At All" is a close second. Co-producer Patterson Hood was determined to write a song with Ms. LaVette and ended up using her stories and anecdotes from the sessions. The result was "Before The Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette)" and you'll be hearing this one a lot as well.
The CD is now released to radio and I'm sure you'll hear almost all of it before its release date of September 25th. Make sure you get one early!
Chris
Kenny Something So Right
Self
Chris Kenny is a regular at the Shuffle and it's good to have her husky voice preserved on disc. Brian Gauci is the guitarist (and co-producer with Kenny), Michael Fonfara is on keys, (Penti) Whitey Glen on drums, Dick Felix on bass and Pat Carey or Rick Morrison on tenor sax. She has some good originals, led by "Lonesome Blues", co-written with Gauci, (with Danny B on harp) and "How Much Does it Take". Her others tend to be more uptown instead of lowdown and "Diamonds and Rubies" & "Lucky in Love" are good examples.
Chuck Jackson duets with Kenney on "Baby (You've Got What it Takes)".
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
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