JW Jones' Solid Blues

Another older review. This review from 2004 is of a marvelous Canadian bluesman, JW Jones. The review appeared in the September-October 2004 Jazz & Blues Report although I have made minor changes. I have previously blogged about his last recording, http://inabluemood.blogspot.com/2010/09/jw-jones-no-longer-prodigy.html. He has a new CD coming out called Seventh Hour. He is using the release of this CD in part to raise money to help battle Cystic Fibrosis. Here is the link to help fund this release and help the fight against Cystic Fibrosis. http://www.indiegogo.com/JW-Jones-New-CD-and-donation-to-Cystic-Fibrosis

Canadian JW Jones' Northern Blues release, My Kind of Evil perhaps shows how International the blues has become. Kim Wilson who helped produce and guests on several tracks is among those who mentored the Ottawa-based Jones who has developed into a solid guitarist with a disc reminiscent of efforts coming from several West Coast artists, although this is a band with a full-horn session and not led by a harmonica player.

Wilson himself has two fine vocals on Willie Mabon's I Don't Know and the Smiley Lewis classic, Blue Monday, while Colin James sings on What You Do to Me and You Got Me (Where You Want Me). Jones himself shows he has learned his lessons well with B.B. King, Johnny Guitar Watson, Ike Turner and others being detectable influences as he opens with a rocking original Shake That Mess with a nice groove and hot guitar. With James singing Johnny Watson's What You Do to Me, Jones plays a homage to Watson's early twisted guitar stylings set against a hot New Orleans rhumba groove.

Jones also has really developed as a vocalist as shown on several tracks here. A couple of instrumentals also display Jones skill and thoughtful playing and given his growth as a vocalist, choice covers and solid original material and first-rate studio band, J.W. Jones has produced a fine recording.

Here is JW Jones performing.