Posted by Fred Litwin Paul Reddick's Villanelle and Dan Treanor & Frankie Lee's African Wind are getting rave review everywhere. Here are a couple of reviews from the latest issue of Blues Revue. A Winning Wind: Africa meets America on an unusual new collaboration "There seems to be a new, untapped outpost for blues: Colorado. First, Otis Taylor unleashed his music upon the world, no comes Dan Treanor. Treanor might not be known outside Colorado blues circles, but he soon will be: This In addition to harmonica, acoustic guitar, dobro, keyboards, and bass, Treanor plays traditional African instruments such as ngoni (a four or seven stringed banjo), khalam (guitar), kalimba (thumb piano), and djembe (hand drum). The percussive expertise of Gary Flori, who helped record the album, gives African Wind additional flavor. Since the music has a drive that evokes North Mississippi hill country blues, it's startling to hear Lee's soul vocals fit comfortably into the mix. The songs have their own individual markets: "Mean Woman Blues" uses the hypnotic drum pattern of "Willie and the Hand Jive," while "Tell Me Mama" employs the cadence of "Sweet Home Chicago." The title track is loaded with instrumental effects, most notably the kalimba, which sounds something like an open musical jewelry box. "Black Hanna" sounds like Dick Dale Playing the diddley bow. In the blues, "different" is sometimes seen as akin to "scary bad." Not in this case. Treanor and Lee have created a unique, refreshing disc that could mark a cornerstone in the genre's evolving sound. African Wind is a stone cold winner." "Three years after receiving critical raves for Rattlebag (W.C. Handy-nominated, Toronto Blues Society's album of the year), Canadian harpist, vocalist, and songwriter Paul Reddick returns with a project that beats his previous one. Villanelle could vaguely be defined as coming from the pre-war blues tradition, but that would only begin to describe Reddick's unique approach. Like Ry Cooder, Reddick uses the structure of older blues to fashion his own sound, layering instruments subtly to paint a portrait that shimmers with feeling. Truly an album whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts, each track on Villanelle is immaculately crafted to fit the larger picture. Sure, there are changes in tempo and feel throughout the 15 tunes, but there's also a cohesiveness that melds New Orleans second-line to Mississippi acoustic soundds and the edgier attack of Chicago blues. Riffs repeat as if on loop, shifting from the lowdown dirt funk of "Big Not Small" to the mandolin/harp-driven train-time clatter of "Luck in Love." The effect is not unlike a dream as Reddick's emotive gritty voice and harmonica drift through but seldom dominate the mix. The music is notable for its space; instruments and vocals are added only as needed. As with Charlie Musselwhite's recent work, you sense this was conceived as a conceptual piece as opposed to a collection of tracks. To be fair, Reddick shares the disc's success with producer/guitarist Colin Linden, whose contribution is so substantial that his picture greets the listener as they open the slipcase. The dup adds a small group of sidemen for drums, bass, and keyboards, but leaves the sound stripped down, primal, and natural. This is not an album that jumps out at the lisener; it's charms seep in gradually through repeated spins. Like the Sirens of The Odyssey, it entrances, hypnotizes, and beckons you back for more." www.northernblues.com
on January 14, 2005, 2:53 pm
64.230.153.217
Two new NorthernBlues titles are now available at Borders and are on the listening posts.
powerful album features the intensity of Delta blues, the instruments of Africa, and the vocal assistance of West Coast soul man Frankie Lee. African Wind turns out to be a 15-song masterpiece.
Lou Friedman
Paul Reddick
Villanelle
Hal Horowitz
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