Little Magic Sam  Live at the Rivoli

“Little Magic” Sam Taylor is a party. His enthusiasm is unabashed. If he loves something he is going to share it, and then you’re going to love it too. That’s just how it goes. This record, true to its name, catches Sam and his band playing a gig at the Rivoli in Toronto. From the opening count of the blistering “When I’m Down,” to the soulful set closer “Kiss Me One More Time,” the blues is in the house.

Sam is inspired by the Chicago blues. That’s his territory, but Chicago blues covers a lot of ground both musically and stylistically. That gives an interpreter like Sam a lot of room to be himself, and he never fails. He’s always himself. He leads a hot little band, too. He covers the guitar and vocals in addition to the songwriting.  Drew Danko lays down the bass, Ben Graffam is on drums, Maia Van Raes tickles the ivories and Steve Grant blows excellent blues harp throughout.

There are 11 tracks on this record. One track is a 45-second introduction of Steve Grant, the band’s blues harpist. That leaves 10 songs, all of which were written by Sam. To perform a nearly hour-long set of all original blues, to a riotous reception from the crowd, is a pretty outstanding achievement. There’s no filler here.

Influences abound. The danger of writing blues songs is that it’s always possible to fall into the trap of imitating your heroes. The difference here is, Sam has lots to say and is not shy about expressing himself. His songwriting, like his vocals and guitar playing, sounds like it comes to him naturally. He knows what he’s doing.

There are whispers of the greats all over the place, but there is no slavish copying anywhere. Steve Grant, on blues harmonica, avoids the mistake of copying Sonny Boy Williamson or Little Walter. Instead, he plays it straight, letting the harmonica’s own tone emerge. His playing is enjoyable, bluesy, and lively throughout.

The whole band acquits themselves admirably. Sam carries most of the load and he’s completely up to the task. When the songs, or the music, shows signs of their influences it simply comes across as a welcome familiarity. They don’t wander far from the Chicago blues that they all love.

I would be comfortable putting this recording on the system at any party, confident that the party Little Magic Sam is throwing would only enhance the enjoyment of any party you might be having.

– Review by John Mulligan

(from John’s Substack, A Series of Notes)