No less than BB King was a fan, despite Chris Cain’s late start in 1985, at age 30. He released Late Night City Blues two years later, earning himself four W.C. Handy Awards. In fact, he returned the compliment to B.B. five albums later with the ’21 release of his own Cain Does King, injecting a collection of B.B. classics with a slightly heavier tone, resplendent in love and respect for Riley B. Indeed, you’ll hear the influence of the entire King family of blues (B.B., Albert and Freddie) in his playing style and his beefy baritone – albeit not to everyone’s taste – shares an unmistakable passion and urgency, recalling the soulful roar of his heroes. Sure, it’s a long way from San Jose to Mississippi, but Cain has applied an entire childhood’s worth of learning about music based on his upbringing, learning to play not just the guitar, but tenor sax, piano, clarinet and bass as well. This fact doubtless accounts for his slightly different sound, embellishing his natural blues intensity with a hint of jazz. 

Cain’s distinctive lyrics always tell a story or underline the trials and tribulations of the real world, adding some essential humour in the bargain. These 13 originals kick off with “Too Little, Too Late”, featuring the key band of Greg Rahn on organ and piano, Cody Wright on bass, June Core on drums and the deluxe horns of Mike Rinta (horn arrangements, trombone), Mike Peloquin (tenor sax) and Mike Galisatu (trumpet). Of course, Cain’s precious ES 335 (“Melba”) and his vocals remain front and centre throughout as Cain eulogizes bad love and divorce with a patented wink, driven home by his high-energy, big band sound. The humour continues with “Fear Is My New Roommate”, as Rahn’s phenomenal B3 contribution joins Cain’s own clavinet (for an element of funk) together with this truly explosive horn section. Cain’s long, tasteful leads surround every composition yet seem exceptionally spry on this outing. Title track, “Good Intentions”, is equally fun with Kid Andersen playing bass, organ and electric piano while his talented wife, Lisa, adds backing vocals warming Cain’s gruff tone considerably. The horn section helps to underline this amusing, “life’s like that” story as Sky Garcia’s perky drums and Jon Otis’ percussion combine to give Cain a strong platform to jump from. When Cain slows thing down, as he does with “Waiting for the Sun To Rise”, his voice works best and his guitar seems to cut even deeper. Joined by Rahn and his always-exceptional B3 contributions, Andersen’s bass and mellotron strings and June Core’s drums, Cain seems to have more time to explore his own creativity, permitting Melba to cut down to the bone. The hard-driving “I Was Wrong” features the tight pulse of Sky Garcia’s drumming and Otis’ congas as the horn section is toned down to caress the singer’s words rather than overpower them. Kudos to bassist Cody Wright for his nimble workout on this dynamic track – again, providing Cain with room to move, ending too soon. “Time To Cry” is more of the same, highlighted by strong performances by Andersen (organ), Cain’s guitar and the overall tightness of Rinta and his horn section. A true disc highlight is “Still Drinking Straight Tequila” with Andersen’s distinctive bass intro and some of Cain’s most aggressive leads. Equal parts real world and downright hilarious, “Tequila” proves to be Cain’s antidote to advice and the perfect solution to getting older. Andersen rocks it hard on organ, bass and electric piano as Lisa joins Cain for the chorus, energized by June Core’s fat drum sound.  If slower is better, “Bad Dream” offers a great duel between Cain’s guitar and Rahn’s B3, as Cain’s piano and Andersen’s frisky bass make this a sleeper of a track. No horns required. While “Had About All I Can Take” is yet another rant about bad relationships, it is Cain’s heartfelt tribute to his father on “Blues For My Dad” which will squeeze a tear from the hardest of hearts (his Dad gave him his first guitar at the age of 8). Played at a lovely, gentle pace with elements of nylon string guitar, conga and acoustic bass, this is a surprising slice of Cain’s more serious side and you can hear the emotion in his vocal, if not feel it. “TGIF”celebrates the weekend, benefitting from Rahn’s piano and Lisa Andersen’s sturdy backing vocal. “Never Let You Break My Heart” may not feature Cain’s strongest vocal, but it’s distinguished by a sophisticated turn by Cain on electric piano, ably supported by Rahn’s B3, guest Dwayne Pate’s bass and the solid percussive team of Garcia and Otis.  The Memphis-fired “Thankful” features labelmate Tommy Castro on second vocal as Cain’s horn section joins Rahn (organ), Andersen (bass) and the driving beat of Garcia and Otis. Somewhat of a back-and-forth oddity to close out the album, it nonetheless reveals yet another side of Cain and his beloved Melba. Producer Kid Andersen has worked closely with Cain before (Raisin’ Cain) to deliver what is, in Cain’s opinion, ‘the best album he’s ever made’. That’s saying something – and then some. (Eric Thom)