SHEPHERD Bywater Call (independent) *****
This Toronto-based roots, rock & soul band’s third album is a scorcher. Shepherd continues to reach beyond the boundaries of their genre to develop their own voice. It reminds me of how I used to feel about The Black Crowes.
This disc celebrates love, passion, regret, patience, resilience, anger and hardship, with firey musicianship matching the subject matter. The group led by the passionate vocals of Meghan Parnell is frankly startling in this age of digital AI-generated pop music made to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Shepherd is Bywater Call’s first fully self-produced/ self-recorded album, and the record crackles with the vitality of any live album you’d care to name. They push it to the limit to create soulful, powerful blues.
Shepherd is all over the map within the roots ‘n’ blues genre in a raw, glorious way as ripping rockers, quirky offbeat numbers and sumptuous ballads take you on a rich journey that you don’t want to end. It’s almost like an early Zeppelin album as it plays with light and shade in an ever-changing mix that won’t wear you out as it pulls you in. I can’t imagine Bywater Call making a better album than Shepherd, but it will be great fun to watch them try.
HOT TRACKS: Everybody Knows, Sweet Maria, Sign Of Peace
KINGDOM Amanda Fish (VizzTone) *****
This is Amanda Fish’s third album and she gets better with every release. Kingdom is powered by righteous subject matter as Fish has really come into her own as a singer and songwriter. I I loved her first two records but holy cow this is really something else; Amanda Fish is on fire.
Kingdom was written over a 6 year gap, heavily influenced by the events of the pandemic, riots and government corruption, seen through the eyes of a new parent and frontline healthcare worker. The press info refers to this as ”a journey of faith, redemption and hope against a backdrop of chaos and upheaval (returning) time and again to its message of truth and love.” Amanda never does anything half-assed… as you listen to her sing, you can tell she puts everything she has into the songs, and she definitely has the right musicians by her side.
The beauty of this record is how you can relate each song in your own way… Broke Ass Blues sums up the way many of have felt and still feel, and those of us with children and grandchildren can relate directly to The World We Leave Behind. This is another candidate for my top ten of 2024; no kidding.
HOT TRACKS: Mockingbird (not the cheesy pop song!),Unbreakable, The Great Reset
PAPA VOODOO Mick Pini (independent) ****
This is Mick’s 26th (!) album and it’s all kinds of cool. Papa Voodoo is also his 3rd with Audio 54’s Craig Marshall. Craig brings the snazzy production tricks, Mick brings the most expressive blues guitar next to Ronnie Earl- a spooky marriage that works well.
Craig Marshall says “I think Mick was surprised by what digital technology has offered us. We always support a song’s feel through the way he blends soulful guitar tones into the expanded sonic landscape.” Mick notes that “Craig’s contemporary approach and innovative ideas pushed the music into a new and exciting direction.” Mick Pini’s guitar playing reminds me of Robin Trower, almost startling against Marshall’s production techniques, and yet it works. It’s a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks with plenty of funk to drive this blues train, each song telling a separate story that somehow works together as separate chapters within the entire work.
I’m enjoying Papa Voodoo a great deal, but find the production on some of the vocals on songs like Gotta Get My Way Home rough on my ears. I appreciate they atmosphere it brings to the track, just wish it was cleaner. As with the other Mick Pini albums I have, Papa Voodoo just never really lets you down.
https://mickpini.bandcamp.com/album/papa-voodoo
HOT TRACKS: Papa Voodoo, Mornington Crescent ’69, Spark
CHASING THE SUN Colin James (Stony Plain) *****+
Colin James gets better with age. Chasing The Sun is 100% pure James- stinging, tasteful guitar, fine songwriting- with a list of guests that make a good thing even better. Could be his best yet.
The Chasing The Sun sessions included Charlie Musselwhite, Lucinda Williams, Darryl Jones (longtime Rolling Stones bassist) and drummer Charlie Drayton. Lucinda Williams takes turns at the mic with Colin for Protection, the first single. “Lucinda is such a revered songwriter, such a legend” James observes, “but she’s so nice. And hearing our voices together on tape was such a pleasure.” The record was produced by Colin Linden (who’s produced 6 of CJ’s albums) at his Pinhead Recorders in Nashville, who clearly enjoys their creative partnership. “Colin is still so engaged in his own artistic development” Linden marvels, “and it just got better every time we dug in deeper… which is not always the way it is.”
Chasing The Sun feels like a combination of blues and blue eyed soul on tracks like How It Feels To Be Loved¸ then you have harder blues on a track like Devilment which features some high octane harmonica from Charlie Musselwhite. So many highlights here… just dig in and enjoy.
HOT TRACKS: Protection (with Lucinda Williams), Devilment (with Charlie Musselwhite), How It Feels To Be Loved
LIVE IN EUROPE Scott Weis Band (independent) *** ¾
The Scott Weis Band’s 8th release is fire and brimstone blues. Fans have been asking for a live record and so Live In Europe is an overview of the band’s shows just as they are which the band calls “kind of a great quality bootleg if will.” Taken in that spirit, this is a juicy listen.
Another title for Live In Europe could’ve been Simple. “We hung 4 microphones and a 2 track board mix, nothing fancy” Scott says, “but that was our goal; to give you an idea with no added tracks what we sound like live.” Robert Kopec is on bass with Roger Voss on drums and Scott Weis on guitar and lead vocals and together their playing is ferocious on stage- plus Scott was born to sing this kind of stuff. The album itself is 13 tracks, several originals and some righteous covers like Jesus Just Left Chicago and Have You Ever Loved A Woman, while Tennessee Whiskey sounds like a different version of I’d Rather Be Blind. Yep- it’s the blues.
Having heard so many spectacularly produced live records over the years I struggled to come to grips with the ‘bootleg-ish’ sound of Live In Europe, but on repeated listens I’m sure that will be less of an issue. As a guitar player Weis reminds me of Peter Green, he’s a good blues shouter, and the rhythm section is solid with just the right amount of flexibility. You’ll definitely be hearing from this disc on my blues show.
HOT TRACKS: Tennessee Whiskey, All Over Again, Have You Ever Loved A Woman
