John’s Blues Picks September 2013 – Ben Sures
Sures in Yiddish is ‘son of trouble’, the press release says. Not a bad title for a long time folkie who has always stayed close to blues and who has now applied his quirky songwriting to that purpose. Alberta-based Sures has also brought along some old friends in Paul Reddick and Ken Whiteley. Quirky is going to be an over-used word here as some of the song titles will show: “Love Will Kick Your Ass” & “Eat Drink And Make Babies”(with Ken on piano and ‘blues holler’) to name but two. “I Could Be Your Man” has some of the most outrageous rhymes you’ll ever hear. “The 99” is about Wayne Gretzky. Sures is also the guitar player and his blues work is an absolute delight throughout. A song by Malian guitarist Boubacar Traore and a nicely arranged and impressively performed version of Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” add an element of seriousness to the proceedings. Traore has had some of the strongest connections to blues in his songs and this version reinforces that nicely. Reddick shines on harp and harmony vocals and it occurred to me that if Sures wanted to do a less quirky blues album, he could do a lot worse than collaborate with songwriter Paul. If that performance of “Grave” is any guide, it would be something to look forward to. His web site is www.bensures.com and it shows only western dates at the moment.