With a 35-year recording career, Colin James offers us his 21st studio album, Chasing The Sun. Already winner of 8 Juno Awards and 31 Maple Blues Awards, he was nominated in 2023 by the Blues Foundation of Memphis for his previous album Open Road, in the Best Blues Rock Album category.

For his new diversified opus, he surrounded himself with a host of hand-picked collaborators. To launch the project, he reached out to Lucinda Williams who sings with him on her catchy and inspiring composition, Protection. He continues with I’m Still Alive co-written with Tom Wilson, a long-time partner, as well as with Tom’s son Thompson Wilson and keyboard player Jesse O’Brien. For this mid-tempo piece with a soul that flows like honey, he adds, as on two other selections, the judicious and heartfelt contribution of the McCrary Sisters, Anna and Regina, to the chorus. Discreetly, with finesse Reese Wynans also contributes to this tune with his atmospheric touches on B3. Canadians Colin Linden and Paul Reddick wrote the next song, Devilment, which brings us closer to the roots of the blues and gratifies us with the remarkable presence of the inimitable ace Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica. Colin James surfs there, beautifully and fluently with the finely mastered electric guitar and his textured and expressive voice! The two Colins, James and Linden, for their part, wrote the excellent and melodic ballad Crystal Ball. The latter is a distinguished guest on guitars on all tracks and bass on Paul Butterfield’s In My Own Dream, one of the three covers among the eleven songs selected. Melody with an instantly catchy groove and simple lyrics that touch directly, How It Feels To Be Loved, this sentimental ballad is a big favorite of mine on the album and a piece that devotes itself, voluntarily or not, to being cut specifically for radio waves. Daniel Lanois said that he liked to have at least one hit per album he made! This song, for me, is a hit by Colin James, Tom Wilson and Jesse O’Brien. Star Studded Sky is another of my favorites from this album, cleverly, even magically concocted and produced by the two Colins and on which, once again, James offers us a subtle and elegantly deployed guitar workout! Too Far Gone is another excellent ballad in which Ruby Amanfu stands out on the background vocal! All contributing musicians and creators weave together a soundscape full of life which can also rock at leisure with lots of energy as in This Song Kills Hate. Subsequently, John Hammond’s Come To Find Out is a refreshing return to the blues sources! Colin James performs there on the acoustic guitar, Linden, on the electric and Musselwhite blows his Mississippi saxophone in his personal and impeccable style. The final piece, Open Your Mind, by C. James and T. Wilson takes up the theme of the album, that is, Chasing The Sun! The convergence, the interlacing of Linden’s evocative electric dobro slide, with James’ vocal supported by the rhythm section of Charlie Drayton, drums and Darryl Jones, bass, then enveloped with the warm background vocals of the McCrary Sisters rises, ethereal, like a soul, conquering its dreams… Chasing The Sun.! This wonderful album deserves to be listened to carefully. (Pierre Jobin)