WTJU Feb 8th, 2021 | By Dave Rogers
New Blues Adds:
Selwyn Birchwood –
Living In A Burning House (Alligator): “The rising guitar and lap steel player calls his original music “electric swamp funkin’ blues,” defined by raw and soulful musicianship played with fire-and-brimstone fervor. His gritty, unvarnished vocals draw his audience deep inside his unforgettable tales of love, passion, pain and pleasure. No other band on the current blues scene is built quite like Birchwood’s. In addition to Selwyn’s electrifying guitar and lap steel playing, the other featured instrument is Regi Oliver’s driving baritone sax. The group is rounded out by bass, drums and, for the first time, keyboards…. “I write and sing what I know,” says Birchwood, whose musical innovations are as expansive as his influences are deep.” (https://www.selwynbirchwood.com/bio) This is solid electric guitar and straight-forward lyrics that provide a wide set of themes. Click here to li
Ray Bonneville –
Gust Of Wind (Stony Plain): “Ray Bonneville combines electric blues motifs, a light sense of humor, and a pop approach to song-making. On pieces like the opening “Don’t Look Back,” with electric piano from Richard Bell, this combination comes across as a sort of Memphis Randy Newman. Colin Linden here produces this unique, memorable Canadian songwriter on his third album. Linden provides slide, baritone, and other guitar work on the album. Like Linden, Bonneville is adept at incorporating blues styles into accessible pop gems. Recorded in Canada and Nashville, this album features mandolin maestro Tim O’Brien on “Canary Yellow Car” and the Band’s Rick Bell playing keyboards on five selections. Like the album, Bonneville is a constantly moving dual citizen of Canada and the United States. This broad base of experience reflects in an album featuring North American themes of pop, rock, and blues.” (https://www.allmusic.com/album/gust-of-wind-mw00002