CANBORO CANBOROUGH Davis Hall & The Green Lanterns (independent) *** ½
This quirky bit of fun is The Green Lanterns’ sophomore release, a side project for drummer Jim Casson. Whereas the first album found the group searching for an identifying sound, Canboro Canborough concentrates on the core group of Casson on drums, N. Jay Burr on tuba, Wayne DeAdder on guitar, Mike Branton on slide guitar, with a guest appearance by Mark Lalama on keys. The sound is rootsy, quirky and fun- this will put a smile on your face.
These songs, like those on the first record, were built from the ground up; starting with drum improvisations then creating bass lines and chord structures to fit. Once Casson had edited those parts into actual song structures, the soloists and melody players came in and did their thing… an unusual birth for an unusual album. CC, as with the previous disc, uses audio clips from a 1963 recording of local disc jockey Bob Bowland on CHOW 1470 AM in Welland, as well as a few other amusing clips peppered throughout… something I’ve been known to do when making compilations for friends.
The songs titles on Canboro Canborough once again tip the hat to Casson’s home of Niagara Peninsula, with the names of historical villages that he found on a 1907 military topographical map that hangs in his office. The name of the record and its title track are a reference to the street Casson grew up on. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Casson- he obviously knows his way around a control board because it sounds terrific. As a drummer Jim Casson has played with Downchild, The Maples Blues Band, The Hogtown Allstars and Dark Orchard, so he brings a lot of miles and experience with him.
Quirky might be the right way to describe CC- after all who uses a tuba as a lead instrument though it suggests a New Orleans vibe- but with the album built from the drums up the grooves are impeccable, and it plays like a light-footed jazz record with a sense of humor and maybe a bit of self-deprecation, not taking itself too seriously even while the musicianship is spellbinding. Given half a chance, Canboro Canborough really grows on you.
HOT TRACKS: The Comfort In The North, Winger, Canboro Canborough
THE DEVIL WON’T GET YOU Chad Rupp & The Sugar Roots (Lightning In A Bottle Records) **** +
Hard and nasty blues straight out of Portland from Chad Rupp & The Sugar Roots. The Devil Won’t Get You is a feast of guitar and harp driven blues with the spirit of a mid-summer barbeque and beer bash. This is George Thorogood meets Too Slim & The Taildraggers, a good time looking for a place and an excuse to happen. Talk about striking while the iron is hot- this is proof last year’s Savage’s Life debut was no accident; these guys have staying power.
Apparently Oregon has quite the blues scene and some of the players on this disc are the brightest lights, like Jimi Bott on drums and Peter Dammann on guitar. There’s an impressive guest turn by Johnny Wheels (of The Swamp Donkeys) on vocals and harmonica for Blues Men In Black, billed as “a 420 cautionary tale”. What makes The Devil Won’t Get You really work is the combination having fun while digging in for some serious playing. You can’t have one without the other for this kind of blues, and The Sugar Roots strike the perfect balance.
In reviewing last year’s Savage’s Life I labeled it “the blues equivalent of what I call ‘dirt-bag rock ‘n’ roll; nasty, greasy, full of attitude and utterly unforgettable”, and I’m happy to report that the same can be said of The Devil Won’t Get You. This is an album that swings and grinds with a ballsy, almost violent self-confidence that you can’t help but like. This feels like The Powder Blues meets Downchild with Buddy Guy or SRV on guitar, the kind of energy where you have to be ready for almost anything, and that’s thrilling.
The Devil Won’t Get You was produced by Timmer Blakely and Chad Rupp, engineered and recorded by Timothy James and Jimi Bott. I mention that because the album has a big, meaty sound and these guys have really nailed it in a Tom Hambridge sort of way. The 11 songs were written by Rupp and Timmer Blakely, and the lyrics are loaded with the same kind of attitude as the music itself. This isn’t just good, or even great… it’s EPIC.
https://www.facebook.com/people/Sugar-Roots/100067983258691/
HOT TRACKS: Blues Men In Black, I’ve Been Thinking, The Devil Won’t Get You
BLUES FROM THE BAYOU E.P. The Groove Krewe (Sound Business Services) ****++
These funk ‘n’ blues masters follow up last year’s full scale album with an EP of lively, spirited blues. Blues from The Bayou swings and jumps like crazy, the people’s exhibit #1 that the blues, in the right hands, is party music too.
The Groove Krewe is a South Louisiana group led by writer/ producers Rex Pearce, Nelson Blanchard and Dale Murray. Jonathon Boogie Long, a featured player named on the cd jacket, plays music festivals all over and was the 2011 Guitar Center “King Of The Blues” winner for the best unsigned guitarist in America. His dynamic leads and passionate voice style, not unlike Coco Montoya, make this disc a real gem. The performances by all involved are driving and energetic, providing a spiritual lift to anyone who can spare 15 minutes to give a listen.
The Groove Krewe carry the spirit of Nola in every note they play, with a side of Memphis elegance. In New Orleans, Mardis Gras clubs are known as ‘Krewes’, so that’s how they came to call the group ‘The Groove Krewe’. The title, Blues From The Bayou lets you know what to expect- the EP is more blues-centric than its predecessor, but nonetheless satisfying musically, rhythmically and every other way you can think of. Long, the voice and heart of this disc, has shared stages with BB King, Gov’t Mule, Gregg Allman, ZZ Top, Robert Cray and The Meters, and one listen to this baby will have you thinking “yeah- I get that.”
Great, spirited blues tunes, that’s The Groove Krewe’s latest with no question. If I have any complaint at all about Blues From The Bayou it’s that there’s only 5 tracks- I want more.
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Groove-Krewe/100083274943963/
HOT TRACKS: Lightning Done Struck Again, Empty Pocket Blues
BABEL Jhett Black (Rumblestump Records) *** ½
The blues- thick, dirty, fuzzy at the edges… that’s Jhett Black’s new album Babel. The songs are dark, heavy and distorted with riffs, melodies and storylines that stick.
Originally from New Mexico but now based in Chattanooga, Jhett Black is a roots singer and multi-instrumentalist, and The White Buffalo’s description of Babel is bang on; “Thick, dirty, fuzzed-out blues, soaked in the shadows of both old and new. Feels rooted in a gothic American past with modern twists and sonics, smothered in Jhett’s warm baritone.” The songs carry a hint of danger and menace and feel like they would’ve been at home on The Sopranos, especially in a scene with Big Pussy and Pauly Walnuts whacking some poor shmo.
Babel is not your average blues record. “The music industry can be a dark place, and so can my music” Jhett says, “the place where my blues comes from- but light shines brightest in the dark. I like to use a dark canvas with a big splash of light in the corner to remind us of the hope that’s available to us. I engage the blues genre with respect, but I’m a firm believer in balance.” Babel is blues, but it’s also more than that, a Leadbelly meets ZZ Top kind of thing, with lots of fat synth tones to muddy the waters if you’ll pardon the pun.
I do have a couple of complaints, however… the production seems quite gimmicky, and I prefer my blues more direct and straight ahead. Plus, the use of an actual drummer instead of drum programming throughout would have given the songs and the album overall more life. And if that IS a real drummer on Babel, he sounds like a robot. Having said that, though, I like that JB sticks to his guns and makes the music how sees fit instead of chasing the brass ring. Maybe it’ll just take a few more spins to come to grips with the elements that bother me. Babel may not be my favorite album at the moment but dammit, I really admire Jhett Black’s spirit.
HOT TRACKS: 12 Bar Blues, Going Down, Mama Told me Not To
LIVE AT G BLUEY’S JUKE JOINT NYC Popa Chubby & The Beast Band
(Gulf Coast Records) *****
I’ve been following Popa Chubby since he was on Blind Pig and I was married to wife #2. Live At G Bluey’s Juke Joint NYC is Popa’s first with the label and this Brooklyn born guitarist is starting that relationship off with a double barreled bang. He’s a hellaciously talented guitar player, his band is solid, and this is 2 hours of fire and brimstone rockin’ blues.
Chubby’s band includes Mike Merritt on bass (Conan O’Brien, Billy Gibbons), Mike Dimeo on keys (Johnny Winter, Tommy James) and Stefano Giuduci on drums, all players with mileage and chops to burn. Live At G Blueys is essentially a live greatest hits, giving you a peek at some of the tunes The Chubster is rightly celebrated for like a searing version of Jimi Hendrix’s Hey Joe, Motorcycle Mama, and his surprising surf remake of The Godfather Theme. The argument can be made that he’s a bluesman but it’s also valid to call him a rock guy too. “Since I’d grown up on Hendrix, Cream and Led Zeppelin, when I started playing blues in New York Clubs, I understood that the blues should be dangerous too” he says. “It wasn’t just from playing in punk bands; Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters were dangerous men.”
It sounds like G Blueys is a tiny place, not much room for a crowd judging from the mix, but it’s a lively room and Popa Chubby & The Beast Band sound really fucking HOT. Popa also produced and mixed the album, so hats off for a job spectacularly well done. Chubby (real name: Ted Horowitz) is an emotional player, always reaching for the deep emotion instead of trying to set speed records. Sure he can play fast when he wants to, but if a song doesn’t call for it then he does there. Giudici and Merritt are a solid rhythm section but PC’s guitar, underscored by Dimeo’s keyboard textures are the real stars on this one.
One listen to Live At G Blueys Juke Joint NYC and you’ll instantly get what the man says about his performance style; “The Stooges meet Buddy Guy, Motorhead meets Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix meets Robert Johnson.” Popa Chubby is the real deal and this album is a controlled atomic explosion.
HOT TRACKS: Motorcycle Mama, Godfather Theme, Hey Joe, It’s A Mighty Hard Road
FEELING GOOD IS GOOD ENOUGH Nick Wade (independent) ****
This is a bare bones acoustic blues adventure like we seldom hear anymore. Feeling Good Is Good Enough takes you right down to the Delta on somebody’s back porch on a steaming summer day. The liner notes say “all songs written, composed and performed by Nick Wade (and) recorded live to tape.” It doesn’t get any more real than this, gang.
Nick Wade took his first music lesson (trainer flute) at 5 years old from his grandfather Johnny Wade, a professional jazz musician who played with Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespie and Freddie Slack. At 22 Nick got serious about music, teaching himself guitar and playing Chicago-style electric blues, but it would be the music of Robert Johnson that became the catalyst for his total dedication to country blues and spiritual music.
If you think Nick Wade is ‘just another white guy ripping off the blues’, give Feeling Good a long, hard listen and reconsider. Through his writing and playing Wade pays humble tribute to the giants that came before him; he knows and understands this music intimately. Part of the blues’ spiritual power comes from gospel music and Nick credits Christ, who he describes as his creator, for giving him “a good ear and rhythm in his soul, plus his mother and grandpa for their musical training when he was just a child.”
Nick is particular about the guitars he plays too; a 1936 Gibson made in Kalamazoo and a 2022 Goodman Grand Concert here, giving him the particular sound that Feeling Good needs to really come across as authentic. As mentioned above, the songs were recorded live to tape by Wade… in fact the only other musician to appear is Li’l Ronnie Owens who plays harmonica on Lonesome Copperhead Snake. Putting this album on is like listening to an old Son House record or maybe even Robert Johnson, but without the fidelity problems inherent in recordings from the 30’s. More importantly, Feeling Good has that depth of soul that makes those old recordings so vital, and that’s what really sets Nick Wade apart. Essential listening? OH yeah.
HOT TRACKS: Sky Line Drive, Engineer Blues, When You Bury My Body
LIVE IN 1967 VOL.3 John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (Forty Below Records) ****
Here is a pivotal part of British blues history. This is the 3rd and final installment of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers’ Live in 1967. Decidedly bootleg quality (we’ll get to that shortly), this is the band featuring Peter Green on guitar, John McVie on bass and Mick Fleetwood on drums just before they formed Fleetwood Mac. Sound quality aside the playing is riveting, particularly that of Peter Green… what a player!
These performances remained unheard for nearly 50 years. Dedicated fan Tom Huissen would take his one channel reel-to-reel recorder into various clubs in 1967, capturing these performances for all time. Mayall recently obtained the tapes, and began restoring them with the technical assistance of label chief Eric Corne. Of Live In 1967 Corne says “while the source recording was very rough and the final result is certainly not high fidelity, it does succeed in allowing us to hear how spectacular these performances are.”
Live In 1967 Vol.3, like some of my favorite Star Trek storylines, is an excellent time travel story. It puts us in those smoky London clubs as if we’re sitting at a table near the bar witnessing magic. Fleetwood and McVie were a tight rhythm section even then, Mayall’s vocals are as passionate as his Hammond B3 playing, and Peter Green was at the very top of his considerable game before his life started to get weird. I wish the sound quality was better, even a mono sound board recording would be a massive improvement, but that’s just not the case. A comment from Classic Rock on the first volume of this series still holds true for Vol.3; “Sunken treasure doesn’t get much better.”
Blues fans in general and aficionados of the British blues scene, Fleetwood Mac and the late Peter Green in particular will find Live In 1967 Vol.3 completely irresistible.
HOT TRACKS: Brand New Start, Greeny (Ram Jam), Your Funeral And My Trial
LIVE IN LONDON Christone “Kingfish” Ingram (Alligator) *****++
The third release since 2019 from this 24 year old Clarksdale, Mississippi native is a jaw-dropper. Live In London, recorded at the UK’s famous club Garage Club is rich and exciting, as I knew it would be. NPR Music correctly notes that “Ingram plays guitar with dramatic, searing tone and sure-handed authority. And that’s just in the studio; he’s even scarier live.”
As a singer and guitarist, Ingram is the kind of talent that comes along once in a generation. His 2019 debut was nominated for a Grammy and the follow-up, 2021’s 662, won the Grammy for best blues album. He reminds me of BB King and Buddy Guy- not so much stylistically, but he’s a double threat as a soulful singer and a monster of a player. Live In London has 2 records of great material to draw from, plus Kingfish adds 2 new original songs and a blistering cover of Michael “Iron Man” Burks’ Empty Promises. He plays with the assuredness and facility of a musician twice his age; I have to keep reminding myself he’s only 24.
Why a live record now? Fair question. “This album is a short lifetime in the making” Christone observes. “I felt the timing was right… not only do I have a deeper catalog of music to choose from, but I also have been extensively touring with my band. (Plus it was) an opportunity to perform in a city I love.” That band, by the way, includes bassist Paul Rogers, drummer Christopher Black and keyboardist Deshawn Alexander, and they play with the tightness of a group that’s seen many miles together.
With many artists the difference between studio and live recordings is startling, but not for Kingfish. Live In London has the same meat and guts that his studio records do and vice versa. Here he can really tear up the fretboard, but his tender playing on songs like Empty Promises and Rock & Roll is equally powerful. He plays with unmatched power and precision and sings with what’s been called reach-out-and-grab-you-by-the-collar vocals. As this live record and the 2 studio records before it demonstrate, Kingfish plays contemporary blues that speak to his generation while respecting the traditions of the genre, bringing to bear the full healing and hopeful power of the blues. He’s the best there is… no doubt about it.
www.christonekingfishingram.com
HOT TRACKS: She Calls Me Kingfish, Empty Promises, Mississippi Night
