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.
Michael Jerome Browne is the son of two university professors, so it’s no wonder that his research into the blues is so deep. On this latest release, Gettin’ Together, he has curated 14 songs from more obscure blues artists of the past century such as William Bunch and Bayless Rose, as well as the more familiar artists like John Hurt and Booker White.
I was wondering what a blues record without vocals would be like. In my mind, the story and the emotions expressed through the lyrics and the singer have always been at the centre of the blues, with the musicians accompanying them with groove, melody, and hopefully some blistering solos.
There are a lot of artists who claim to put love into everything they do, but this latest release from Paul DesLauriers and Annika Chambers is a true love story. When two people with so much talent and potential get together, sparks fly and one can only imagine what fires can come from it.
Four releases into their musical career, you might expect it would be easy to plot the band’s progress since their ’16, 5-track release, No Worries. You’d be wrong. The Justin Saladino Band revealed a mature grasp of their talents right out of the gates and, while live records can often uncover a band’s greatest strengths or limitations – 2020’s JSB Live quickly registered this ‘young band’ as every bit as musically astute and seasoned as road warriors twice their age.
You might first be taken aback by anyone releasing a double album in these fractured times. However, after sitting down to listen to one of the best folk-blues releases in a long time, one can only conclude that each record’s approach belongs under one roof. Too few people are aware of Denis Parker and his 60 years of blues.
Blues Hall of Famer and winner of multiple blues awards, Joe Louis Walker treats us to a new offering in Weight of the World. Sometimes serene, often rambunctious, the album highlights Walker’s mastery and versatility as a singer, guitarist and composer.
Chris Antonik started his career as a much in demand side player which grew into his own recording and touring projects, the latest of which is Morningstar (His fourth studio album). A riotous and often genre spanning collection of co-writes, Morningstar stretches the boundaries of the blues, exploring the limits of Chris’ style and creating a compelling sonic landscape.
After a quarter of a century in the recording industry, there’s very little that Steve Hill hasn’t already done. He started out working the club circuit in his native Montreal, building his brand in a succession of bands, before launching an impressive series of recordings and tours as a one man band that saw him constantly expand his repertoire by adding more and more to the music without expanding the band beyond himself.
Over the course of a prolific recording career now spanning 26 years and 13 albums, Vancouver Island-based Michael Kaeshammer has blossomed into a truly multi-faceted artist. The Juno Award winner is a talented singer/songwriter, a virtuoso piano player, a bandleader, and an engaging performer who is now in-demand for theatre concerts across the country.
Jake Chisholm Hands Held High Electro-Fi
I’m not sure which is the bigger surprise – the fact that this Jake Chisholm is the same front man from Jake & The Blue Midnights or that this release is one of the latest from deeply-respected blues label, Electro-Fi Records. Impresario Andrew Galloway’s label has long specialized in traditional, post-war blues but – as the t-shirt reads: “with a foot in the future.” Hence, Galloway’s own vast musical interests are coming to the surface as he adds newfound success stories like Harrison Kennedy and Blackburn to his esteemed catalogue. In other words, Chisholm’s progressive release is a good fit. Likewise, Chisholm has undergone a personal renaissance, moving from horn-fueled swing crooner to bona fide soul-rocker on a mission.
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The Toronto Blues Society acknowledges the annual support of the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage, and project support from FACTOR< and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Broadcasters, The Canada Council for the Arts, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
