Blues beyond the 49th Parallel
Bluesrocking guitarist and vocalist Spencer Mackenzie plays it hard and strong with his team of Miles Evans/p-key, Steve Pelletier-Stacey Shopsowitz, Adam Cannon/dr, Julian Nalli/sax, Stephen Dyte/tp, Chantal Williams/voc and guest guitarists Ross Hayes Citrullo and Stevve Strongman. Most of the material is from MacKenzie’s pen, except for a couple clever calls. First good call is a fun and fuzzy take of Paul Simon’s “Paranoia Blues” along with Strongman, and then a deeply grooved “No Good”. The album has a big and thunderous sound, with plenty of feedback and stomping drums as on “Baptized By Cold Water” or the swampy shuffle of “Can’t Do Right”. The band goes dark on the organ grinding “Don’t Wanna Be Your Dog” and “Preach To My Soul” with Spencer taking you to classic rock 1970s on “Battle From Within”. Grinding Gibsons.
Vocalist Harrison Kennedy belts it out on voice and harmonica with a street level team of Jesse O’Brien/key, Colin Linden-Chris Caddel/g, Gary Craig/dr, Jimmy Bowskill/g-mand and Paul Intson-Terry Wilkins-John Dymond/b on a album of songs with dirt under the fingernails. Kennedy rasps it out like a carney with guest Ruthie Foster on a blistering “All I Need Is You” , while stomping out a two stepper “Cranky Woman”. The band rambles along like a travelling band on “Women” while the guitars slide safely into second on “Crazy Love”. Kennedy kicks the mud off his boots on the swampy “Memphis Trippin’” and takes you to the back porch on a rural “On Call Man”. Juke joint joys.