Nice red clay soil for the roots of American music…
Old School blues guitarist and singer Zac Harmon brings his mix of gospel and grit together on this album with Bob Trenchard/b, Richy Puga/dr, Johnny McGhee/g, Dan Ferguson/key The Rays/voc and some cameo guests. His guitar has a tone similar to the rich pierce Carlos Santana as he preaches it on “Deal With The Devil” and the bluesy organ smoker “Long As I Got My Guitar”. He gives an 80s rock sock to the upbeat “Imagine a Prayer”, brings in a soulful 70s vibe to the R&Bish “Soul Land”, a 50s stroll on “Crying Shame, and sways to the Sunday mood on “Ashes to The Wind”. All throughout, you get the feel of a guy who knows both sin and redemption, all to a relaxed back beat.
You can tell a lot about Canadian singer/guitarist Colin James by the songs he selects on this recent album. Any guy that opens up with a tune by swampmeister Tony Joe White, as James does on the dark and guitar sliding “As The Crow Flies”, gets my attention. He doesn’t stop there, as with his team of Geoff Hicks/dr, Norm Fisher/b, Simon Kendall/key, Chris Caddell/g, Steve Hilliam/ts-bs and various guests, he rocks the boogie on Otis Rush’s “It Takes Time”, gets STAXY on a tasty gospel treatment of Booker T Jones’ “I Love You More Than Words Can Say” and casts a dark shadow with horn on the blue read of Albert King’s “Can’t You See What You’re Doing To Me”. He gets juke joint jumpin’ on Bob Dylan’s “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” and rocks hard on Zimmerman’s “Down On the Bottom”, while his own “There’s A Fire” has his guitar sear through Chicago’s South Side and the “When I Leave This House” is a Berry-riffed beauty. V8 engine with dual exhausts.