February 2000
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![]() Another very impressive album is Montreal country-folk-blues singer Rob Lutes independently produced debut effort, Gravity. (See www.roblutes.com for info.) This is the antithesis of Chicago blues. Actually, it defies all classification efforts. It is roots music, we can agree on that, or we can simply say it's great music incorporating plenty of elements of blues lore ... just don't expect standard 12-bar blues. Though he's barely 30, Lutes has the voice of someone who's smoked and drank and lived a lifetime, and his songs tell stories that ring true. For example, "Indecision" (with its line "... And a tender word is seldom spoken/Each time you can't decide...") is about how difficult to finally say a relationship is over, and "Hometown," about how your hometown is always part of you no matter where you are. More than just a collection of great texts, singer-songwriter style, Gravity offers plenty of good music, showcasing the beautiful guitar picking of Lutes (acoustic) and accomplice Rob McDonald (electric, with some slide and dobro) and the very relaxed drumming of R.D. Harris. With plenty of songs dealing with big empty roads and skies, traveling, and estrangement from home, this is an excellent album for those long trips in the countryside, or for those days when you can't leave home but you need to let your mind soar, unhindered by gravity. Two independently produced mini-albums dealing in opposite ways with tradition have also landed on my desk these last weeks. Hailing from Canada's capital, The Mud Boys have chosen a slightly retro approach on their Seven Faces EP (eight tracks, 35 minutes). There are the covers ("Rocket 88," rock and roll's first-ever song according to some music historians, Billy Boy Arnold's "I Wish You Would," Junior Wells' "Hoodoo Man Blues"), and there is also the very prominent 50's style piano playing of Steve Ridgley. Singer and harmonica player Dean Dupuis and guitarist Chris "Jarhead" Breitner also take their share of solos on this enjoyable effort. In keeping with the fun nature of their music, the band's Web site (www.themudboys.com) invites you to play a few games online! Stylistically opposite is Mother of Moths Delta (six tracks, 18 minutes), which goes way back to Robert Johnson and all the dark crossroads and gives it the psychedelic treatment. Or, were this a painting, I'd say the impressionistic touch. This is dark and menacing music that can only come to the surface when one is willing to face his inner devils. Singer-guitarist Patrick Archie has woven bits of Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues," Muddy's "I Can't be Satisfied," John Lee Hooker's "Crawlin' Kingsnake," Led Zep's "Dazed and Confused" (plus, no doubt, others I didn't identify) with some of his own lyrics, and improvised till everything suddenly sounded brand new. More info at www.motherofmoth.com ... check it out. --- Benoît Brière
A friend sent me a CD that he thought I would like from a band in Austin, Jerry Lightfoot and the Essentials. I was not familiar with Lightfoot, only knowing that he was a guitarist from around the Austin area. His CD, called Better Days (Age Out Records), is an incredible display of his talents. Lightfoot wrote most of the songs on this CD and they seem to have an autobiographical edge (he writes in the liner notes of "seemingly being dealt hand after hand of dog-eared aces and eights," and the recording is dedicated to the memory of his father and son). Lightfoot is also a fine guitarist and singer, but he has some excellent company in the vocal department. Carolyn Wonderland and Tommie Lee Jackson sing powerful backing vocals on one track each, and Maryann Price sings lead on the closer, Blind Willie McTells "God Dont Like It." But the ace in Lightfoots hand is the presence of the legendary Jerry LaCroix (former lead singer for Edgar Winters White Trash, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Rare Earth) on five of the ten tracks. LaCroix is simply one of the best singers out there, and its a crime that hes not better known. The entire CD is great, but LaCroix's soulful presence lifts the whole project up a notch. When he sings, "I Will Forever Sing the Blues" on one of the many great tracks here, you hope hes not lying. I have a different favorite track every time I listen to it, but two of the standouts are "My Dyin Days," where LaCroix just oozes pain and hurt, and the hard-driving "Never Get Caught Again," one of Lightfoots vocals with Wonderland backing. The only complaint I had was that it wasnt long enough, but that just leaves you wanting more. Lets hope better days (and more CDs) are ahead for Jerry Lightfoot. --- Graham Clarke Essential elements for good swing is it must be lithe and bluesy at the same time. Too much pop robs the swing of its soul and kills the fun. Swingin (Vitamin Records) is a collection of Grateful Dead songs rearranged by Steve Marsh into a swing/jazz/pop style. The problems with Swingin are it's too lumbering and many of the arrangements do not vary enough from the originals. Many of the arrangements sound like they were arranged for a marching band, evoking comparisons to an college marching band halftime show instead of Ellington, Basie or Roomful of Blues. This is particularly the case on "Touch of Gray," "Friend of the Devil," "Casey Jones," "Truckin" and "Cumberland Blues." There are bright spots on the disk including "Wharf Rat," which has a nice smoky nightclub feel, and "U.S. Blues," with a funky New Orleans brass band sound. There are solos and accompanying parts that stand out on certain cuts that make the songs more enjoyable, but I do not think it is enough to make people abandon the originals for too long, and the performances just dont have the main ingredient --- blues.--- Tony Nowicki
Moody would be the best description of Troy Turner's Blues On My Back (Telarc ). Troy explores several different moods of the blues on his first release for a major label, without getting boring or dull. His guitar chops are a straight ahead mix of Texas, Chicago and Louisiana blues, and are consistently fresh and melodically interesting. Vocally, Turner is as diverse as they come, giving each number it's own identity and style. Only two pieces out of 13 are originals, "Blues On My Back" and "No Hard Feelings," but show great promise of future songwriting yet to come. Covers abound on this release. "Baby Let's Play House," the often-covered "Hideaway," and "Black Cat Bone" are three of the best tunes on this album, and showcase Turner's guitar prowess. "Mojo Boogie" is a pleasant shuffle with Troy growling the vocals over some classic ragtime piano and a piercing guitar solo. Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Turner has very close ties to the Neal family. He has backed Raful and toured with Kenny, giving him a most impressive musical résumé. Blues on My Back is a very good album, not great mind you, but very good and worth a listen or two if diversity is what you seek. --- Steve Hinrichsen
New England session regular Sax Gordon stepped out from the background two years ago to record a fine solo album for Bullseye Blues & Jazz, Have Horn Will Travel (see original review). That one made my top ten list for '98, and now one of the blues world's finest sax players is back with another fine one, You Knock Me Out (Bullseye Blues & Jazz). Sax Gordon opens with an uptempo rocker, "90 MPH," demonstrating his hot sax work and raspy vocals. "Lonely For You" is a Harlem Nocturne-style slow, late night blues, written by Alvin "Red" Tyler. This album is more than just Gordon's show, as he's assembled a crack band make up mostly of members of various incarnations of Roomful of Blues. Producer Duke Robillard contributes a great steel guitar sound on the instrumental "Speed Rack," while pianist Matt McCabe and bassist Marty Ballou also chip in with tasty solos. Gordon and Doug James launch into a heated sax duel on the swingin' original instrumental "Lorenzo Leaps In." He pays tribute to major influence Louis Jordan with an original novelty number "That Little Town Rocks," one which you could easily imagine Jordan singing. You Knock Me Out is a great disc which just gets better every time I hear it ... sax lovers will certainly need to add this one to their collections.
OK class, does everyone know the meaning of the word 'Skiffle?' If not, check out the official Skiffle web site, then come back to this review. The Skiffle Sessions (Pointblank) was recorded live in Belfast, and featured Van Morrison, skiffle pioneer Lonnie Donegan, and Chris Barber. The result of the two November '98 evenings in Ireland is a very fun album. Morrison and Donegan show the vocals, and the contrast between their two vocal styles provides a nice diversity through the 15-song performance. The tunes here are a mix of country blues and old timey classics, most of which we've all heard many times in our lives. My favorite is "The Ballad of Jesse James," with Morrison providing the lead vocals in his usual distinctive style. Other classics include "Midnight Special," "Frankie and Johnny," "Goodnight Irene," and "Muleskinner Blues." Recommended for Van Morrison fans, lovers of acoustic blues, and anyone else with a taste for good music. Naked Blues (Ranell Records) by California artist K.K. Martin has already been out for a year, but this nice traditional blues disc is still worth reviewing. Martin looks like anything BUT the image of a traditional bluesman ... from his picture I'd assume him to be a heavy metal rocker. But the 13 cuts on Naked Blues are all pleasant country blues numbers, featuring Martin's tasteful guitar pickin' and his Dylan-style vocals. One of the better cuts is the Mississippi John Hurt tune "Angels Laid Him Away." His best guitar work comes on the original "Up Jumps The Devil." Also good is the harmony vocals on the traditional number "I Shall Not Be Moved." Takoma Slide (Takoma/Fantasy) is a real nice collection of slide guitar numbers from various Takoma recordings over the years, and representing many different styles of music. The disc begins with a raw number, "Rolling and Tumbling Blues," recorded in Hollywood, of all places, by Eddie "One String" Jones, and played on a one string guitar. There are also tunes from Mississippi Delta and rural Louisiana standouts like Robert Pete Williams, Bukka White, Son House (a great live version of the classic "Preachin' Blues"), and Rev. Robert Wilkins. The late Michael Bloomfield contributes a stirring gospel instrumental, "At The Cross," on which he plays both slide and piano. Bluegrass picker Mike Auldridge is featured on an excellent dobro instrumental, "Everybody Slides." I've always thought of John Fahey and Leo Kottke as two of the better guitar players I've ever heard, and they're both included on this CD, the former with a nice acoustic number, accompanied by the barking of his dog, on "Poor Boy," and the latter with a tasty instrumental "Vaseline Machine Gun." The compiler of this album has done a very good job in blending together artists of different styles, with the end result being a CD which I highly recommend. --- Bill Mitchell |
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