John’s Blues Picks is the monthly album review column by Toronto-based blues columnist, John Valenteyn. John Valenteyn is co-founder of the Toronto Blues Society, radio host on CIUT.FM and the Toronto Blues Society’s resident album reviewer. John’s Blues Picks (JBP) are collected monthly in the Toronto Blues Society’s monthly print newsletter, Maple Blues.
Saxophone legend Sonny Del Rio aka Dennis Grasley, has long been a fixture of the Hamilton music scene, most prominently as a member of Crowbar and of King Biscuit Boy’s bands.
Sandra Bouza was our Talent Search winner this past year and the winner of our playoff to head to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge in January where she reached the semi-finals. She released a couple of songs during this time and now we have a full album.
In some ways, Ken Whiteley’s new album is not a surprise in that it contains his usual blend of personal, political and spiritual songs. He also continues to bring along some remarkable guests to help out. He has however come up with some brilliant new songs and he’s singing very well indeed.
Crystal Shawanda is from the Wikwemikong reserve on Manitoulin Island although she has lived in Nashville for several years now. With husband Dewayne Strobel on guitars & production and Crystal on powerhouse vocals & songwriting, they make for quite a couple and they have outdone themselves on this new one.
After her 6 CD Mentor Series, which focused on the rediscovered blues singers she met personally (all male), Rory Block launched her ‘Power Women of the Blues’ Series with a full disc devoted to Bessie Smith.
Montreal’s Adam Karch returns with album number five, a most impressive set of originals and selected covers.
With her famous ability to improvise lyrics, Layla Zoe would probably prefer to record live albums and this one is her fifth. With that title, this one does indeed look back at most, but not all, of her albums.
Say Somethin’ is David Clayton-Thomas’ call to action on a number of social issues. From a failed justice system to gun control to climate change and immigration, we get his bluesiest album in some time.
Veteran rocker Sass Jordan has won numerous awards and sold over a million albums. She maintains that all her work is influenced by blues and has decided to go all in for her new album, her first for Stony Plain.
Montreal-based blues rocker Dwane Dixon calls his style ‘rocking roadhouse blues’ in the manner of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Billy Gibbons. The idea for his third album came from a story he heard about his father.
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