John’s Blues Picks is the monthly album review column originally launched by the late Toronto-based blues historian and broadcaster, John Valenteyn. Submission can be sent to the TBS office for consideration and will be circulated to a pool of journalists and others for review in the monthly Maple Blues newsletter and placed at the Spotify playlist.
Vaneese Thomas is quite a singer! Her soul is deep, authentic and rooted.
Born in Memphis, TN, she is the daughter of the legendary Rufus Thomas, whose career spanned half a century and who was a major figure at Stax Records. She is also the younger sister of Carla Thomas, the Queen of Memphis Soul and of the highly respected keyboardist Marvell Thomas (R.I.P.).
Mississippi MacDonald is Oliver MacDonald —Olly to his friends. He’s an English singer and guitarist from London. His nickname, Mississippi, was given to him by his buddies when he was a student
I enjoyed airing the previous BMM release, and this one will be fun too. The obvious chemistry between A.W. and Jasmine propels this set, one in which the recording itself stands nearly as tall as the performances captured. Listening in headphones and noting what I think of as ‘wide mono’ instead of a stereo field, the meld of instrumental sounds with vocals being sung as if to be heard over the instruments (not monitored in headphones and perfected in mix adjustments) is a refreshing escape from contemporary styles that contain each track input in its own compression, reverb and eq, resulting in fine isolation but sacrificing what the instruments themselves have to say to each other about getting to play together.
The adjective “eclectic” gets tossed around liberally when describing those who dip their musical toes into a variety of genres. But it’s perfect for Jake Shimabukuro.
This CD/Blu-ray combination is a lovely portrait of an artist – largely because, if you only hear the gale force power of Layla Zoe’s singing voice, you may not be getting the full impression.
Given the state of the music recording industry, it’s a treat to discover a release which seems to celebrate the sheer joy of making music. At first blush (and 4 releases in), you might not know what to make of Endrick Tremblay and his loyal, long-time Sandwiches
The Ottawa-based guitarist Tony D (Tony Diteodoro) has been a masterful guitarist for more than forty years. Most recently revered for his participation in the award-winning swamp blues trio, MonkeyJunk, Tony has now released his own album, Electric Delta, on Cordova Bay Records.
After Roomful of Blues, of which he was a founding member in 1967, after his stay in the Fabulous Thunderbirds from 1990 to 1992 as Jimmie Vaughan’s successor, Michael John “Duke” Robillard, then under contract with the Virgin label for his rock n’ blues side à la Thunderbirds, was welcomed to the Canadian label Stony Plain.
Guitarists JD Simo and Luther Dickinson may not have fallen from exactly the same tree but the two contemporary bluesmen, who are firmly rooted in tradition, sure come out of the same orchard.
Al Lerman has been a long-time mainstay on the Canadian Blues scene. Included in his noteworthy resume is a 24 year stretch as founder / leader of the always soulful, two-time Juno Award winning band, Fathead, (!992-2016). Over time Lerman has shown himself to be a fine songwriter while laying his claim as one of the best harp players in the country.
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