Downchild Can You Hear The Music

Listening to Can You Hear The Music (True North Records), the new recording by the venerable Canadian blues band Downchild, one is struck by the sound and the pace of the music. Given the four decades plus Downchild has been around this should be no surprise, but it is also refreshing in this age of guitar shredders whose idea of nuance is only occasionally turning the volume dial on their guitar or amps down. Don Walsh with his guitar, harmonica and songs may be the axis about which Downchild revolves, but Chuck Jackson's gritty singing, Michael Fonfara's keyboards and Pat Carey's saxophone also standout while the bass of Gary Kendall and the drums of Mike Fitzpatrick lay out a tight rhythmic foundation. On several tracks they are joined by Peter Jeffery's trumpet.

The title track, a hot jump blues that musically evokes Louis Jordan’s classic, Choo Choo Ch’Boogie, kicks this set off. The easy rocking I'm Always Here For You, like the opening track, benefits from crisply arranged horns in addition to the band's solid groove. I Need a Woman musically suggests Little Richard’s Directly From My Heart, with Walsh's fuzz-tone guitar break complements the urgency imparted by the Jackson's vocal. Blue Moon Blues takes the band down into the alley, while Fasten Your Seat Belt is another hot jump blues with strong harp and a tough tenor sax solo.

After Walsh's jaunty slide guitar on The Road, there is a nice swampy feel about My Mississippi Queen where Jackson (who wrote this choice lyric) sings about meeting a lady near New Orleans who later one night caught the eye of everybody in every club on both sides of Beale Street before she broke his heart. She took his money but more when she took his heart it was the worst thing any woman can do. Walsh adds a strong harp solo to go with the strong lyric and backing resulting in quite a jewel of a performance.

There’s a full moon out and Downchild are on a rambling mood on the rocking shuffle Don’t Wait Up For Me, with Fonfara's rollicking piano accompaniment and Walsh's crisp, slide guitar break. Scattered, a jumping harmonica feature concludes a superbly played, and consistently entertaining blues recording.

I received my review copy from True North Records or a publicist. Here is a video of Downchild in action.

Colin Linden From the Water

I am presently listening to Colin Linden's most recent recording, Still Live (Yellow Dog Records) and realized that I had reviewed one of his earlier albums a few years back. I will writing a review of the new release in a few days, but I thought I would also post this review from a few years back. I received a review copy from a publicist or the record label. The review appeared originally in the August 2009 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 319).

Canadian Colin Linden has been playing blues and blues-related roots for some time and has a new CD, From the Water (True North) that certainly will enhance his reputation as a thoughtful and skilled player and singer. This disc is comprised mostly of his originals (some penned with others), the record benefits from his often restrained approach. 

The opening title track has a hypnotic groove akin to that of the North Mississippi Hills Country bands but benefits from a lighter accompaniment. His silences speak more effectively than some of the unrestrained heavy metal approach of some award-winning blues groups from Mississippi. This is followed up by a lovely ballad sung in French, again with spare backing which makes his strong slide solo stand out . An old Blind Teddy Darby recording is the source for a superb country blues performance of Built Right On the Ground, with Paul Reddick adding some nice harmonica support to Linden’s spellbinding guitar and vocal. Smoke 'Em Down, again sports a light accompaniment with Linden on acoustic guitar with Gary Craig using brushes on his drums as he sings about a barrelhouse pianist whose left hand would smoke ‘em all. 

A more rock and roll blues groove follows with Trouble Comes in 3’s, with a melody suggestive of Lieber & Stoller’s Riot in Cell Block 9, although his vocal sounds slightly mannered, and drummer Craig is not as supple. Between the Darkness and the Light of Day, is more of a blues-tinged contemporary folk original with an uplifting lyric of pushing on through life’s obstacles, followed by his spiritual vision on I Have Seen a Miracle, with perhaps more of a country flavor and a vocal that would have been home with The Band. Devilment takes us back with a hokum feel on a lyric of a woman seemingly innocent but having devilment on her mind with lovely piano by John Whynot. John Lennon in New Orleans, has a surreal lyric about being a wanted man no one can recognize with a soulfully sung vocal. 

The remaining tracks are as deftly performed and Linden and his collaborators have written some very strong originals that display plenty of heart without any bombast. Linden’s mix of blues and blues-based roots material here and his understated, but heartfelt performances, makes for a stunning recording.

Here is a video of Colin Linden performing the title track, From the Water.