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November 2007
Various Artists Maximum Mojo Electro-Fi/Festival
A celebration is at hand and a fully justified one. That a label dedicated to presenting ‘straight, natural blues’ should last ten years truly is something to celebrate. The opening notes of Snooky Pryor’s “Slow Down”, from the first Snooky CD, Can’t Stop Blowin’, will tell you how lovingly the blues has been cared for by this little Toronto label. Snooky recorded four CDs on the label before he passed away and he, for me, is its heart. A pioneer of electric Chicago Blues, he would go on to do his best work for Electro-Fi, no other record companies would have bothered. Adding Mel Brown to the team further cemented this opinion. The list of other ‘originators’ on the label includes Little Mack Simmons, Sam Myers, Curley Bridges, Billy Boy Arnold and Mel Brown himself. A list with more authenticity would be hard to imagine. Electro-Fi‘s vision also includes what it calls the best of this generation’s emerging artists. Local success stories like Fathead, Julian Fauth, Harrison Kennedy and Morgan Davis are represented here as well as artists such as Detroit’s Harmonica Shah, San Francisco’s Mark Hummel and New York’s Paul Oscher. There is also a track from a CD that promises to take the label in a new direction, “I’m Here to Stay” by Sharrie Williams. The detailed notes on the two discs worth of highlights from the label’s history are a treat to read. Very few of you will have the complete catalogue so I can heartily recommend that you acquire this compilation. For those of us who do hoard CDs, there is a previously unreleased song from the Sam Myers album. Not many label owners appreciate live music as Andrew Galloway does and the anniversary show is a must see. Billy Boy Arnold with the Chicago Blues All-Stars featuring Bob Stroger and Billy Flynn, Fathead, Julian Fauth and Harrison Kennedy will all be at the Silver Dollar on Saturday, Nov.3. The next night, at Blues on the East Side at Jackhammers Night Club in Brantford, Electro-Fi artists Billy Boy Arnold, Mel Brown and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith hold forth among many others. There is a special price for Electro-Fi CDs if you shop at the website. Go to www.electrofi.com for all the details.
David Wilcox Boy in the Boat Stony Plain/WEA
Mr. Wilcox credits a number of these songs to pre-war bluesmen and it is most kind of him to do so for the transformation that occurs between the original 78 rpm and what we hear on this CD is remarkable. The source material is not often apparent but the universal appeal of the song shines through the distinctive Wilcox style. And the distinctive Wilcox style is definitely here. The trio, with Blake Manning on drums and Russ Boswell on bass, is augmented on occasion by Richard Bell on keyboards and Chris Whiteley on amplified harp but there is no mistaking Wilcox’ razor sharp playing or his acerbic wit. A couple of excellent originals, “Drop The Pressure” and “Perfect Victim”, should go directly to the next greatest hits album, with driving guitar backing advice that only David Wilcox can give. “Catman” is based on a Blind Lemon Jefferson recording but is a thoroughly modern slow blues of the theme of another man hanging around his baby’s door. Blind Boy Fuller’s “Step It Up and Go” is a perfect fit here, as is Willie Dixon’s “I’m a Natural Born Lover”. You won’t recognize “Flip, Flop and Fly” as it’s done here, a head-turning re-arrangement. The CD ends with a solo rendering of “Buddy Boy’s Blues”, Wilcox’s treatment of several themes from Buddy Boy Hawkins. This is a remarkable collection of songs, managing to take a great leap forward while taking a good look back at a long career. If this CD isn’t at your favourite store, you can always go to www.stonyplainrecords.com - the complete catalogue is there for you.
The Sojourners Hold On Black Hen/Koch
This gospel trio backed Jim Byrnes on his JUNO winning House of Refuge last year and recording an entire CD of their work is a stroke of genius. Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely are members of the Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir and came together for the first time to sing behind Mr. Byrnes. They are all veteran gospel singers even if this group is new: Small, for instance, was a member of the Fabulous Pearls when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1958. They all have much theatre experience as well. The program is a varied one of standards and covers, delivered in a rousing, get-up-off-your-chair fashion, with producer Steve Dawson on his usual array of stringed instruments, Keith Low on bass and Geoff Nicks on drums. Byrnes returns the favour here with two appearances, “Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb” (also the title song of the Blind Boys of Alabama’s most recent CD) and “Run On”. May there be many more!
Steve Kozak’s Westcoast Blues RevueHoot ‘N Holler SK
Steve Kozak is a twenty-year plus veteran of the Vancouver blues scene, coming up through the jams at the Yale and this revue is drawn from that marvelous pool of talent. Jack Lavin has been their mentor and he plays harp on a couple of songs here as well as being on the other side of the glass as producer. Kozak plays guitar and sings and for his third album has come up with mostly original material. He calls his sound ‘workingman’s blues’ and that’s a very good description: nothing fancy, just straight ahead bar blues. The title song is an infectious romp that brings Willie “Big Eyes” Smith to mind. James Badger is on drums here with Brian McFadyen on harp, Dave Webb on keys and either Trevor Newman on electric bass or Ken Wilson on stand up bass. The “Girl Of My Dreams” is his wife Sue, who nursed him back to health after a medical emergency last year. That emergency gets detailed in the slow blues “Almost Bought The Farm” and it features some fine lead guitar. “It Didn’t Happen That Way” is another highlight, an uptempo number about lies, driven by two harps and Badger’s drums. Ike Turner’s “You Got To Lose” is another good one. “Leavin’ Time” is the CD closer and the regular set closer too, I suspect, and a well-written and arranged little delight it is. You should go to www.myspace.com/stevekozakswestcoastbluesrevue.
Sharrie Williams I’m Here to Stay Electro-Fi/Festival
“Rockin’ Gospel Blues” is on tap here. Sharrie Williams has been a hot item in Europe since 2001 with a couple of CDs and a DVD there on Crosscut. After appearing at most of the major festivals here, this is her North American debut CD and it will surely be the first of many. Fifteen fresh, original songs that will make you sit up and take notice immediately. If you need a point of entry, think of Koko Taylor or Mavis Staples but with Williams now entering her forties, you’ll quickly discover she defers to no one. An important part of this success story is her band, The Wise Guys, who she found in Chicago in 1997. They know how to back her and how to play the various styles that are Sharrie Williams. “I’m Here To Stay” will quickly become her anthem if it hasn’t already and it is the most obvious Koko reference. The slow blues, “Jealousy” and the soul-drenched “Gotta Go Thru Hell (To get to Heaven)” are equally strong. Powerful rockers like the title song, “I Gotta Find Me A Mojo” and “I’m A Real Woman” explain the popularity of her stage show and she avoids the histrionics often associated with this style. There are a couple of acoustic ballads that she sings gorgeously. The bluesy funk of “I’m So Blue” and the contemporary R&B sound of “Time” point not only at her comfort with all these styles but a new direction for Electro-Fi, which tended to favour more traditional musical styles. “Pocono Praise” ends the CD with a glorious gospel rave up and points to the co-production between Electro-Fi and Michael Cloeren, the Founder & Producer of The Poconos Blues Festival. This CD will also be released in Europe on Crosscut. Joint ventures have arrived for the blues too!
Ronnie Earl Hope Radio Stony Plain/WEA
His last few albums have included guest vocalists and other instrumental guests but here we have the unadorned Ronnie – just his guitar with his regular trio: Dave Limina, Jimmy Mouradian and Lorne Entress on organ/piano, bass and drums, in an intimate, live-in-the-studio setting, showing how and why he has maintained his status as one of blues’ most popular guitarists. His limpid, fluid solos are not constrained by three-minute limits here and you’ll be amazed at his inventiveness all over again. This also gives him the room to display some Buddy Guy-like dynamics with his solos ranging from the almost inaudible to full flight in the course of his journey. Earl has used this setting in the past for excursions into jazz but the forms here are almost all blues. You’ll recognize some of the themes from earlier albums but the improvising makes this a most welcome addition to his discography. The set list is imaginatively broken up at the halfway point by an acoustic guitar solo. Seventy-eight minutes of blues guitar heaven.
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
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