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December 2007
Colin James & The Little Big Band Christmas MapleMusic/Universal
Colin James acknowledges in the liner note that the world probably didn’t need another Christmas CD but he modestly doesn’t take into account how much fun this one is to listen to. This is the same band as on the MBA-nominated 3, and it swings even harder than it did there. There are some serious redundancies here, though, with some, or any, other Christmas CDs you have but “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus”, “Merry Christmas Baby” and “Please Come Home For Christmas” really sound great in their new clothes, courtesy of horn players Steve Hilliam and Terry Townson. Then there are the treats: a delightful duet of James with Roxanne Potvin on “Baby It’s Cold Outside” that captures the playfulness of the song perfectly; a Hawaiian-flavoured “Christmas Island”, with co-producer Colin Linden on the slide guitar; the less frequently heard Louis Prima hit, “Shake Hands With Santa Claus” and the gospel song “Go Where I Send Thee”. Steve Allen’s “Cool Yule” makes for a catchy set opener. Maybe it’s time to put another Christmas CD in the rotation!
David Rotundo Live at Roc N’ Docs Stone Pillar
A hot night at the popular Port Credit nightspot is beautifully captured here. Rotundo’s gruff vocals and no-nonsense harp have found a perfect match in the twin guitars of Desmond Brown and Dan Dufour. Their interlocking guitar parts harken back to the golden age of Chicago blues. Chuck Keeping on drums and Shane Scott on bass supply the solid foundation. The highlights from previous CDs by Rotundo (and Schmidt/Scott) form the bulk of the set list; they were good songs there and they sound even better in the sure hands of a full time band working hard in front of an enthusiastic audience. The rocking “Working Class Blues” has the harp solo that will explain why this man works continuously. “Worries and Troubles” will keep the slow blues lovers happy. “Vampire Woman” raises the tempo and the temperature a notch with a Dan Dufour solo highlighting the macabre lyric. “I Don’t Need Nobody” is delivered by a band performance that matches the defiance of the title, with Keeping particularly in your face. A couple of longer tunes close out the set with “Punching Bag Man” another excellent slow blues, on subject of alcohol abuse this time, and Billy Boy Arnold’s “I Wish You Would” getting some extended ad lib vocals from Rotundo. This is much more than just a memento of a good night at the local blues bar it’s a fine modern blues album. Go to www.davidrotundo.com.
Thom Swift Into The Dirt Festival
After six albums with Hot Toddy, Thom Swift has one out on his own. He has crafted a very accessible CD that touches on folk, blues, country and rag styles. The songs are all original and blues content is very good indeed. The title song has a springy J.J. Cale groove setting for a dark look at life. The dark theme continues with a couple of drone-based songs. “Healer Man” features a heavily distorted guitar and guest Guy Davis on didgeridoo, evoking an older approach to living. Geoff Arsenault is perhaps the perfect percussionist for this type of song. “Mother’s Arms” has Guy Davis back, this time on harmonica, and more than a little influence on the song itself. Swift is on banjo and his lyrics seem to dwell ominously on death. “My Dog” is a jaunty slide piece in the “Poor Boy” tradition, one of two instrumentals. The other is “Hackett’s Cove Rag”, a delightful John Hurt-flavoured picking tour de force. “My Sweet Baby You” closes the album on a different sound, with the legendary Bill Stevenson playing a prominent stride piano accompaniment to Swift’s lyric. Go to www.thomswift.com
Ross Neilsen Early Grave RN
An impressive sophomore effort from New Brunswick’s Ross Neilsen, with a wide range of styles effectively presented. He’s supported by the Sufferin’ Bastards: Shawn Worden on bass and Karl Gans on drums, plus other guests who join in as the need arises. He opens this CD of mostly original songs with a nearly a capella gospel piece that signals the fact that this young man writes songs that show a maturity well beyond his age. The band kicks in for “Walk In The Sun” a grinding blues that seems patterned on “Tobacco Road”. And then comes “Don’t Need Love”, a driving rocker that should be a single. It has a searing tenor sax part by Chris Mitchell and monster slide guitar from Neilsen. It’s too bad it’s a straight-ahead rock song because the next line goes: “I’m gonna live on my blues”. “Yonderwall”, of course, was written for a monster slide guitar and Neilsen doesn’t disappoint. He doesn’t disappoint on the vocal either. “How I Could Change” is a lovely blues ballad that he isn’t afraid to let run over six minutes. Mitchell is back on sax with John Clayden on organ and a very effectively deployed background chorus. “Anyway I Can” has more pickup lines than you can count. It’s just the trio here and this one must rip it up in live performance! “Early Grave” returns midway as a guitar solo, subtitled “Eulogy” and the CD concludes with “Committal”, for a New Orleans marching band. He promises a major national tour in the coming year, check out www.rossneilsen.com for news.
Doug Cox & Sam Hurrie Blues From The Forbidden Plateau Snoozeyouloseblues
With a couple of higher profile albums already out, the opportunity arose for this recording session at a relaxing coastal resort on Vancouver Island. This may seem like too much Doug Cox but it does give you a chance to hear an attractive country blues program by the guitar duo from Comox, BC, and provides a useful, back-to-the-basics album after the Slide to Freedom trip to India. Cox and Hurrie each sing and play various guitars in a wide-ranging set list that begins with Blind Willie McTell’s “Life Changing Blues”, goes to Lowell Fulson’s “Reconsider Baby”, Joe Zawinul’s “Birdland”(!), “John The Revelator”, Chuck Berry’s “Wee Wee Hours” and Charlie Patton’s “Mississippi Bottom Blues”. Whew! There’s a Cox original as well, “Fish Pond Holler”. It’s all beautifully performed & recorded and a treat to listen to. It’s also a treat to read: there’s a great liner note, courtesy of writer and musician Spider Robinson. Go to www.dougcoxandsamhurrie.com for more info.
Big George Brock Live at Seventy Five Cat Head
Brock celebrated that birthday the week this set was recorded last May and further adds to the puzzle of why he has been such a well-kept secret in the Mississippi Delta and environs. He’s a contemporary of many of the most famous names in blues and has performed with all of them, but has so far avoided further recognition. This set, recorded at Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero club in Clarksdale, should add mightily to his late career resurgence. His original songs are firmly in the tradition and the covers are well chosen, but the chief attraction here is the performance. The two guitars/bass/drums lineup behind the harp-blowing leader will bring a smile to your face. Longtime sideman Riley Coates and newcomer Bill Abel share the guitar honours with Barry Bays on bass and Riley Jr. on drums - veterans all, as the audience cheerfully acknowledges. Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art Inc., based in Clarksdale, has just been recognized with a Keeping The Blues Alive Award in retailing from the Blues Foundation. This CD, and the previous two (plus a DVD) on the label by Brock, supply more than sufficient evidence. Go to www.cathead.biz if you can’t find this one.
Son Seals His Journey Through The Blues Vizztone DVD
“A teddy bear with a chainsaw”, that’s how Frank Pellegrino of the Kingston Mines club in Chicago describes Son Seals in this hugely entertaining and informative bio. Peter Carlson also produced the excellent DVD on Junior Wells, Don’t Start Me Talking, on his journey to create permanent audio and video documentaries of the blues greats. As with the Wells, he has the co-operation of the people who matter: Son himself in a most talkative mood; Bruce Iglauer, his record company/manager/booking agent and friend for thirty years, his sister, his son and the list goes on from there. Seals’ guitar playing came to define the word ”intense” and we hear enough about his life to comprehend a little bit about where the intensity came from. The documentary lasts thirty minutes and uses video clips from three concerts and music from his albums for the sound. One half-hour’s worth of excerpts from the concerts themselves are added extras. A 2001 Rooster Blues concert performance of “Everyday I Have The Blues” unfortunately loses the vocal but captures his guitar playing beautifully. A 1998 House of Blues show clip of “The Sky is Crying” with his band in full flight is a real prize. A spirited performance of “Don’t You Lie To Me” from the 2001 Chicago Blues Festival concludes this valuable DVD.
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
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