LABOR OF LOVE Tinsley Ellis (Alligator Records) *****+
After decades as a blues guitar hero, Atlanta’s Tinsley Ellis has turned to solo acoustic blues. That journey started with 2024’s Naked Truth, and now with Labor Of Love it has become his main focus. AllMusic rightly praises this as “glorious, raw, propulsive acoustic blues… killer vocals and biting, dazzling guitar work.”
13 original tunes, Labor Of Love is just Tinsley and his guitar; deeply emotional songs spinning modern tales of floods, voodoo spirits, personal struggles and prayers for redemption, good times, hard times… you know, the blues. Asking how Ellis feels about this sea change is a fair question. “I’ve always loved the sound of the acoustic guitar” he says. “I can be more expressive and emotional as a solo acoustic artist.” The album is raw and emotional with some of the songs inspired by the legends who came before; Long Time has a John Lee Hooker groove, Skip James fans will dig To A Hammer and Sunnyland is a Son house-style stomper.
The guitars Tinsley uses on Labor Of Love include his 1969 Martin D-35, 12-string D-12-20, and his 1937 National Steel O series guitars, plus he plays mandolin on 3 tracks., all using multiple tunings… the sound of a well-seasoned bluesman exploring and creating with a depth and soul. It isn’t about how many units he can sell with a new shtick, this is music he feels deeply and personally. “For me, playing this music is a labor of love” Tinsley says. “ I sat at the feet of Muddy Waters, BB King, Howlin’ Wolf. I got into this music because of them. I always told myself if I could just make a living playing the blues I’d be, at least in my own mind, successful.” Something happened on his way to ‘making a living’- he’s become a blues legend.
Describe this disc in one word? That’s easy; exquisite.
HOT TRACKS: Long Time, Sunnyland, I’d Rather Be Saved
JOHNNY MAX & HIS SO CALLED FRIENDS The Johnny Max Band (independent) ****
This is one blues band that’s been hell-bent on showing you a good time for 30+ years. … & His So Called Friends is more of the Memphis/ Chicago/ New Orleans vibe that has been pleasing crowds for decades. While not a live album, it kind of has that energy. No wonder Johnny Max has been nominated for Juno and Maple Blues awards.
…So Called Friends is the 8th album from The Johnny Max Band. As he explains it, this “came about from talking about having all sorts of friends come in and help the JMB with different sounds and styles and needing or wanting other people to play with.” These friends include Jim Casson, Quisha Wint, Dylan Wickens, Suzie Vinnick, Jay Burr, Neil Chapman, Bill Evans and more. This disc has the breadth, soul and joie de vivre that I’ve been feeling from Maria Muldaur albums in recent years. There are 12 cuts in all, 4 of them covers, and Johnny shows a real knack in picking the right songs for his band to cover. They’ve been playing Memphis Women & Fried Chicken for more than 20 years, yet this is its first appearance on one of their records. He also has a special fondness for Might As Well Be On Mars; “(it’s) been a favorite of mine since I first heard it” Johnny says. “After also finding out that Neil Chapman not only played on (the original) but was also a writer of the song (by the Pukka Orchestra) I have been wanting to record the song (with him on it too).”
Johnny Max & His So-Called Friends is blues-based but not strictly blues, with the Nola vibe of a song like Kiss From Joanne feeling like it would be right at home during Mardi Gras. There’s some good old-time rock & roll here too, and I think it’s safe to say the disc is sort of all over the place stylistically and gloriously so. This is the sound of friends having a fine time.
HOT TRACKS: Memphis Women & Fried Chicken, Kiss From Joanne, Might As Well Be On Mars
HAVE MERCY! Sean McDonald (Little Village) ****
This is the debut release for the talented 24 year old Georgia-to-Nashville singer/ guitarist who is playing well beyond his years. Have Mercy! Is vintage blues with a 60’s rock n roll soul and a taste of swing and jazz that makes it nigh on irresistible.
Sean’s voice is a warm, smooth tenor and his single note guitar style recalls vintage BB King. Have Mercy is a mix of 4 originals and 5 covers that fit together so seamlessly that it sounds like it’s all his stuff. He’s a recent grad of from Middle Tennessee University, where he earned a major in audio production and a minor in music industry. We all know making music is a hard way to make a living these days but armed with these skills and a not inconsiderable amount of talent, Sean McDonald has the tools to go the distance.
He recorded the album at Greaseland Studios, co-producing it with Kid Andersen. Lots of talented and renowned players were in the studio with him including keyboardist Jim Pugh and sax players Eric Spaulding and Jack Sanford. Have Mercy isn’t a ‘gosh n golly I get to make an album’ debut that you might expect from someone so young… this has the feel, groove and carefree energy of something made by someone with serious mileage- maybe that’s where the in-studio guests helped to lift the disc to the next level. This is energetic and celebratory, definitely a Friday night blues kind of album.
The production on Have Mercy! Is spot on and I’m finding the energy irresistible. You gotta check this out.
https://littlevillagefoundation.com/sean-mcdonald/
HOT TRACKS: Killing Me, Angel Baby, Shuffleboard Swing
WALKIN’ EACH OTHER HOME Clela Errington (independent) *****
This, Errington’s 5th album, has been out since October and my apologies to Clela for taking so long to get around to it. Walkin’ Each Other Home is rooted in folk, jazz and blues with songs that open at a leisurely place as they surround you with a warm embrace. It’s elegant.
When I first put this on my wife asked “is that k.d. lang?” which is understandable as Clela’s voice has an unhurried purity to it that you’ll respond to. Malcolm Gould of CBC radio says “if a single voice could heal the world, Clela’s just might be it” and I’m inclined to agree with him. Walkin’ is described as “a slow burning meditation on what it means to belong- to a place, a people or a truth.” Recorded live off the floor with producer Jimmy Bowskill (Blue Rodeo, Brooks & Bowskill) the sound is sumptuous, even luxurious, without feeling pretentious.
In addressing the depth of the disc, Errington says “there’s a spiritual home we all long for, and this record is about walking that path- sometimes alone, sometimes with others, but always with compassion.” The songs are played with grace, neither forced nor embellished, always deeply felt. The disc is compared to the emotional honesty and profound clarity of Joni Mitchell and Anne Murray, and now with that notion in your head you will hear and feel that.
Different music serves different purposes, whether you’re blasting down the highway, raising the roof on a Saturday night party, or sitting quietly as you stare out the window on a rainy night and contemplate what’s to become of the remainder of your journey. Albums like that last one are precious and few, and Walkin’ Each Other Home hits all the right notes for me.
HOT TRACKS: I Know You Rider, Careless Love, Full Moon Dark Time
