Toronto Blues Society | » John’s Blues Picks

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.

John’s Blues Picks September 2015 – Shemekia Copeland “Outskirts of Love”

Published September 29, 2015 in John's Blues Picks, News

In 2012, Shemekia Copeland was crowned the “New Queen of the Blues” at the Chicago Blues Festival and the passing of the crown from Koko’s family couldn’t have been more appropriate. Shemekia is back on Alligator Records and this production does her up proud: new songs – some not blues and some not original but all excellent. She is in top form on vocals here as she was at this year’s Festival, a major highlight of that weekend.

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John’s Blues Picks September 2015 – Duke Robillard “The Acoustic Blues & Roots of Duke Robillard”

Published September 29, 2015 in John's Blues Picks, News

Duke Robillard’s own discography runs to almost thirty albums so far and one sometimes wonders what he would do for the next one. It seems he has too and he has for some years now been assembling a tribute to roots styles that he loves and that have influenced him. There are eighteen songs in this generous program, so I’ll restrict myself to only a few of them.

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John’s Blues Picks September 2015 – Sugar Brown “Poor Lazarus”

Published September 29, 2015 in John's Blues Picks, News

Sugar Brown is also known as Dr. Ken Kawashima, Ph.D. While his doctorate is in East Asian history, he applies the same high level of expertise to classic blues. The lengths to which this man of Japanese heritage, raised in Ohio and a long time Toronto resident has gone to do this will be apparent from the moment you hit play. The sound is totally authentic: he has tried very hard to re-create the studio sound of those old recordings and the recording methods as well. As with his last album, this is live off the floor, full-track mono to tube amps and tape.

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John’s Blues Picks September 2015 – MonkeyJunk Moon Turn Red

Published September 29, 2015 in John's Blues Picks, News

Steve Marriner, Tony D and Matt Sobb really rock out on this new one. The slide-driven opener “Light It Up” shows all the cards: high energy, fast-paced and loaded with fresh ideas, these guys are going to have a good time and they’re going to take you with them. “(It’s) You” and “Show Me Yours” keep the party going with very different but equally danceable songs – a delightful sequence. “Show Me Yours” is especially noteworthy, with its catchy chorus. They wanted to do a David Wilcox song, “Hot Hot Papa”, and why not then ask the fellow Stony Plain artist to join in?

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John’s Blues Picks September 2015 – David Gogo Vicksburg Call (Cordova Bay/Fontana North/Universal)

Published September 28, 2015 in John's Blues Picks, News

Nanaimo’s favourite bluesman David Gogo wanted album #14 to rock out and he has succeeded admirably. “Cuts Me To The Bone” has a powerful opening riff and it takes off from there, a breakup song maybe but you can lose yourself in this one. For all the years he’s he’s been doing this, it may be his best song yet. “Fooling Myself” is a blues grinder with a couple of excellent guitar solos, one of them by guest Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown fame.

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John’s Blues Picks September 2015 – Colin Linden “Rich in Love” (Stony Plain/Warner)

Published September 28, 2015 in John's Blues Picks, News

Colin Linden’s first studio album in six years features some his finest writing. That he’s found time to write anything, let alone an album this good when his list of current projects is longer than my column is as good a mark of his genius as there can be.

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John’s Blues Picks August 2015 – Buddy Guy “Born to Play Guitar” (Silvertone/RCA/Sony)

Published August 31, 2015 in John's Blues Picks, News

The King is dead. Long live the King. Buddy Guy is now the last headlining blues star and with this new album he looks backwards and forwards. His trademark sound is a high energy, supercharged blues but this one, with a couple of guitars, piano (Kevin McKendree, in fine form), bass & drums (Hambridge) would be a traditional Chicago blues disc were it not for the fine new wrinkles that producer Tom Hambridge has added. There are also a couple of songs that take Buddy in new directions.

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John’s Blues Picks August 2015 – Dan Doiron “Stand Back, I Don’t Know How Loud This Thing Gets…” (Self)

Published August 31, 2015 in John's Blues Picks, News

Cape Breton’s Dan Doiron is justifiably proud of his new, third disc. A stunning production, with an attractive cover and a video all in the service of some very good songs. Doiron is a fine singer and an excellent guitarist, making this one well worth your attention. Now based in Halifax, he has assembled many of its finest players for a program of horn band blues & R&B. The rocking “You Give Me Shivers” is a fine opener: behind his vocal we get his guitar, Kim Dunn’s organ, Keith Doiron’s bass & Mike Carroll’s drums along with fine horn section and back up singers, all beautifully recorded.

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John’s Blues Picks August 2015 – Stephen Barry Band “Treat Her Right” (Bros/Select)

Published August 31, 2015 in John's Blues Picks, News

The Stephen Barry Band of Montreal vies with Downchild for the title of longest-serving blues band, they’re celebrating their 40th this year with a new album and a tour. In fact, as the Back Door Band, they go back to 1968. An original member, guitarist Jörn Reissner, was coaxed out of retirement for the event and his “Sister Francis” is one of the highlights on a disc that doesn’t have as much blues as you might expect. The lineup here also includes current & longtime members Andrew Cowan on guitar & vocals, Gordon Adamson on drums & vocals, Martin Boodman on harp & vocals and Jody Golick on sax with Stephen Barry on bass & vocals.

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John’s Blues Picks August 2015 – Dalannah and Owen “Been Around A While” (Self)

Published August 31, 2015 in John's Blues Picks, News

Dalannah Gail Bowen and Owen Owen Owen (Owen Veber) have both been around a while: Bowen a long time vocalist/actress & social activist and Veber a veteran and inventive bassist, both hail from Vancouver. Owen is 40-year man in the Vancouver scene but this is the first time I’ve seen his name on a blues disc. He proves here that it shouldn’t be his last. And yes it is just bass and voice. It’s a testament to both their talents that this works so well as there is no place to hide.

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