WINGS OF ADELAINE Abon (Flatcar Records/ Fontana North) ***
‘Haunting’ and ‘ethereal’ are just two appropriate ways to describe the new album from this Edmonton-based Danish/ Canadian singer, songwriter, producer, composer. Wings Of Adelaine is an album to take you places, and by that I mean pick you up and carry you away.
Thanks to the wistful, hypnotic, gauzy nature of the music that fills Wings Of Adelaine comparisons to Enya are inevitable and understandable yet not entirely accurate. It makes sense to characterize this album as a feeling and a vibe, as opposed to more traditional pop songs driven by lyrical messages. The opening song, Miracles, sets the tone as Abon (Lauren Pedersen)’s resonant voice sings a haunting, wordless Celtic-ish melody over piano and strings. “It’s a prayer for miracles to happen in your life” she says, “with gratitude for miracles of the past, for the miracle of this day, and the reminder that you yourself are a miracle.”
In today’s fast paced world of abstract busyness and sonic violence, an album like WOA seems quaintly out of place; not a bad thing, just an observation. It’s been described as “a whispered, secular prayer for tranquility, music to amplify the quiet voices in our world, equally at home in a house of worship, on a long walk, or while practicing yoga or mindfulness meditation.” It’s very much in tune with what my old massage therapist Anna Beaching at In Touch Massage in Lloydminster would play while diligently working out the knots in my back.
Wings Of Adelaine will not appeal to a huge audience and it’s certainly not road trip music, but if you’re looking for something to help you escape the cacophony of modern life even for just a little while, Abon may be offering just what the doctor ordered.
HOT TRACKS: Miracles, Stone III, Morphus
EXPOSED Vince Santoro (independent) *****
After a 50 year career as sideman to a staggering list of accomplished artists, Vince Santoro has finally stepped out for his first solo record. Exposed has a 70’s Stones swagger and a lyrical vulnerability that will touch you deeply and pretty much right away.
Santoro is a roots rock/ Americana drummer, singer, spoken word artist and songwriter, and it’s his time behind the kit that gives Exposed much of its charm. “As a drummer who sings I have always tried to play appropriately for each song” Vince says. “When I unearth and complete a lyric I like and think it could be a song, my first thought is to find the right groove.” This disc is full of examples of him doing exactly that.
Each of these 9 songs are informed by Santoro’s social observations and personal memories, including the song What’s That Like co-written with his wife Barbara. As mentioned in the first sentence Vince has played with an array of amazing stars that includes Roy Buchanan, Edgar Winter, Rodney Crowell, Rosanne Cash and The Highwaymen. I could go on, but we don’t have that kind of time- I have to work in the morning! Produced by guitar great George Marinelli, Exposed has a casually elegant feel. The review of this album by Ray Montana of The Nashville Musician correctly notes Vince Santoro’s “soulful vocals, economical drumming and accessible, unpretentious songwriting as well as Marinellis’ funky guitar textures and tasteful production.”
The album isn’t slick or forced, and there’s an underlying truth to Santoro’s lyrics that you can’t help but notice. This feels like real life in a Tom Petty/ early Stones sort of way. Vince is a craftsman when it comes to lyrics and a sculptor when it comes to turning his words into songs. Exposed is the sort of album you’ll connect with straight away; you’ll want to keep it close by.
HOT TRACKS: Exposed, Long Slow Train, I’d Be Dancing
WHITE WOLF Teskey (independent) *** ½
This is the first time out for these Arizona-based blues rockers. White Wolf fuses elements of traditional blues, psychedelic rock, jazz and alt rock for a wide ranging sound that will appeal to aficionados of the late 60’s/ early 70’s scene.
Aside from some tasty grooves, there’s a method to the madness that became White Wolf; “It dawned on me that many of my favorite records were recorded live in the studio with limited tracks” says bandleader / guitarist/ singer Brandon Teskey. “Those albums seemed to have a raw energy. They left their mistakes in, or used them to their advantage. I wanted to make an album like that.” And boy did he, citing records like Cream’s Disraeli Gears, Hendrix’s Are You Experienced” and SRV’s Texas Flood as examples. Formed in 2024, the band spent the better part of a year writing and rehearsing before hitting the studio to lay this one down.
White Wolf sounds mostly like southern rock meets some lowdown, gritty blues. Brandon Teskey’s guitar playing is tasty with compelling riffs and sweet blues-flavored soling, emotive with traces of Hendrix, but his raspy voice takes getting used to; not unlike when you first hear George Thorogood. The band, by the way, also includes Matt Baldwin on bass, Peter Murphy on keys and bg vocals, and Brandon Gaddy on drums. The album was recorded at Mind’s Eye Studio in Phoenix and produced by Brandon Teskey with Tony Noyes. The sound is murky-ish on my stereo but sounds better when you crank it- just ask the neighbors.
White Wolf has its share of rockin’ tunes but acoustic blues numbers like Lemon Tree and Redemption Blues provide a nice balance against the harder stuff. Overall the disc has late 60’s/ early 70’s British blues/ rock feel, which has to be deliberate. WW is a promising start and clearly indicates good things to come down the road.
HOT TRACKS: Beneath The Tupello, Redemption, Lemon Tree (NOT the Trini Lopez song!)
BOB IS BACK! Bob Stroger & The Headcutters (Delmark Records) *****
If you like old school blues, be damned if doesn’t get much better than this. Bob Is Back! Finds the 94 year old singer and bassist in fine form. Surrounded by his very talented Brazilian band/ groove masters The Headcutters, this thing takes us to school in the coolest way.
Bob Is Back! Is a combination of Stroger originals and a brace of blues standards by people like Muddy Waters, Elmore James and Jimmy Rogers. Produced by Stroger and the band the disc has an elemental sound that lands pretty much right away. At his age Bob’s vocals are understandably laid back and smooth, which suits this material nicely. Listening to B.I.B. is like wandering into some densely packed Chicago club and running smack into a good time. Kudos to The Headcutters (Joe Marhofer- harp, Ricardo Maca- guitar, Arthur Catuto-bass, Leandro Cavera-drums) plus special guest on keys Ben Levin for laying it down just right for Stroger to work his magic over.
Not many bluesmen of Bob’s vintage are still around, never mind making solid records like this that give the young kids a run for their money and show them how it’s done at the same time. He’s won more blues awards than he can shake his bass at, and looks forward to being inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in Memphis. Don’t get your hands on Bob Is Back! Because you think it’s charming that a 94 year old bluesman can still get it up (musically speaking of course!) but get the album because you have a taste for jaunty, authentic blues that carries the history of the genre in every note. This is the good stuff, maybe even great, and I’m loving every minute!
HOT TRACKS: Champagne & Reefer, Jazz Man Blues, Loan Me Train Fare
LET YOU GO Mike Elliot (Busted Flat Records) **** ½
This album is as wild and hairy as you’d expect from the guy that led Daddy Long Legs for 13 years. A powerful mix of grungy garage rock, 60’s R&B and Chicago blues, Let You Go is a lo-fi diamond in the rough…bluesy but more rock & roll than anything.
Active in the Ontario music scene since the early 90’s Mike has made his mark with bands like the aforementioned Daddy Long Legs as well as Elliot & The Audio Kings and The Jacks. His music is described as “rough and rowdy, songs that swerve across the roots road, veering close to rockabilly and good old-fashioned rock & roll.” Let You Go is the kind of record that says ”I’ll do whatever the hell I want, like it or don’t.” It’s a record jammed with songs of love and loss, personal growth and self-reflection, even on the barrelhouse piano-driven Dance With The One. The music overall is as varied as it is entertaining and energetic, and Elliot’s lyrical gifts see to it that you can connect your own experiences through music.
I have no production notes to refer to, but Let You Go has an organic, driven feel as opposed to something that was assembled on Pro Tools. It reminds me of the first time I heard Matt Mays & El Torpedo in the early 00’s, it has that same feral energy and recklessness at times that stops short of driving straight into the ditch… not unlike Neil Young & Crazy Horse in their prime, come to think of it. In a world of well-mannered and technically perfect music, stuff like this is a brazen breath of fresh air. Maybe it’s my status as a genuine old fart but the vintage sound and feel of these songs has really captured my imagination. Guitar solos are short and economical, with no other purpose than to directly serve the tunes that contain them.
Let You Go has been sitting on my desk for the better part of a month and shame on me for not getting to it sooner. A career of three decades and change has led Mike Elliot to making one hell of an album. Gotta spin this again before I hit the sack tonight.
HOT TRACKS: Dance With The One, Let You Go, Half The Man
