Self-Produced CDs, Part 2

As noted in Part 1, I've been called on to evaluate six self-produced CDs for the Blues Foundation. Here are my mini-reviews. I have nominated the first two for advancement to the next round of the competition. The others are in alphabetical order.

Kat Danser, Baptized By the Mud

Kat Danser is a singer-songwriter from Alberta, Canada. The guitar work by Steve Dawson, who also produced, is top notch throughout. He also plays banjo and pedal steel. Daryl Havers' piano, when called upon, is appropriately funky. Background vocals add texture to several of the songs.

Ms. Danser's natural singing voice is a strong contralto, similar to Tracy Chapman, but she's also capable of excursions into a higher register. Of the twelve songs, she wrote eight. Danser's songs are mostly about personal relationships, but her lyrics are several notches more sophisticated than most contemporary blues. On “Sweet Baybay,” she modestly compares herself to her lover.

“Crazy For You” is a love song in the guise of a European travelogue (or vice versa). Her self-image, as reflected by “Winsome, Losesome,” is of someone who is capable of intense highs and lows. In a slightly different context, “Hear Me Out, Think It Over” would make a great '50s doo-wop song. The title song, featuring banjo and accordian accompaniment, has (for me) no obvious interpretation, but it sounds mythic and intense. “Notes From the Other Side” is written from the perspective of someone who is dead.

The program is nicely balanced by four covers. There is an effective arrangement of the spiritual, “Oh Mary, Don't You Weep,” and the somewhat obscure Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil-Brenda Russell civil rights anthem, “None of Us Are Free,” from Solomon Burke's CD Don't Give Up on Me. Finally, there are two traditional blues: “You Gotta Move” by Mississippi Fred McDowell, and Ma Rainey's lesbian manifesto “Prove It on Me Blues,” which casts an entirely different light on the lyrics of some of the other songs.

The packaging is absolutely top-of-the-line, featuring beautiful artwork by A Man Called Wrycraft, and lyrics to all of the songs.  For a while, the entire CD is available here, but you have to consent to some loss of privacy.

Big Jim Adam, Cajun Moon

From the opening notes of Robert Johnson's “Come in My Kitchen,” it is clear that Big Jim Adam is an accomplished slide guitarist with a relaxed but powerful singing voice. A veteran blues man from Colorado, now living in Florida, he is a previous contestant in the International Blues Challenge, along with pianist John Stilwagen. Adam functions as a one-man band on all but three of the twelve songs, playing slide guitar, harmonica and doing percussion with his feet—and yes, he does sound a bit like Dr. Ross at times.

This CD has some liabilities. It's not all blues. The title song, written by Adam, is a country waltz featuring violin by Jody Adams. The pop tune “If It Hadn't Been for Love” also has a country flavor. The last thing blues fans needed was new versions, no matter how competently done, of “Frankie and Johnny” and “John Henry.” (My need for covers of these songs ended almost 50 years ago, when I heard Mississippi John Hurt's definitive versions.) Finally, there is a throwaway cut, “Heard It From Big Llou,” an R&B duet with Adam's friend, Big Llou Johnson, with Stilwagen on piano.

But when he is good, he is very, very good. In “If I Was the Devil,” he tells us how he would tempt—and scare—us into misbehavior. He would "promise you comfort, in trade for control." There are four other original tunes. “What Owns You” is a social commentary on consumerism. On “Gumbo Ya Ya,” about gossip, he gets strong support from saxophonist George Whitesell. The haunting “Grasping at the Wind” claims lyrics based on the Book of Ecclesiastes. (I wouldn't know.) “Down on My Knees,” continues with the religious theme.

Finally, there are two well-chosen covers, “Come in My Kitchen,” and in an interesting contrast, a soft version of Keb Mo's “Henry.” Here's a low fidelity live take of "Kitchen."  It sounds much better on the CD.

Chris Antonik, Better For You

Chris Antonik is a singer-guitarist-songwriter from Toronto whose songs fall into the category of blue-eyed soul. Not only does he have a tight band with organ, bass and drums, but five of the songs have horn accompaniment and there are some background vocals. This is a highly professional CD.

Antonik is willing to share the spotlight. He sings only six of the eleven songs. Organist Josh Williams sings three, plus there is one each by guest artists Shakura S'Aida and Mike Mattison (of the Tedeschi-Trucks Band).

The CD gets off to a rousing start with “Long Way to Go,” an up tempo rocker featuring Steve Marriner on harmonica. But the highlights of the CD are three Southern soul ballads. “Broken Man” features an intense Mattison vocal. Here it is:

But Antonik also has a nice way with slow tunes. On “Tell Me What You Need,” he plays with time, stretching verses beyond the standard 16 bars. The inspirational ballad “I'll Help You Through” is a fine choice to conclude the album.

Another highlight is a lively version of Big Walter Horton's “Have a Good Time.” The vocal is by Johnson, who also plays harmonica. He's accompanied by Antonik on acoustic guitar. It's the only tune not written by Antonik and/or a member of his band. It's an outlier, and a welcome change of pace.

Blind-Dog, Ashbrooke Sessions

Blind-Dog is Michael Gatewood, a singer, slide guitarist and harmonica player from Indiana. I found out his given name from the internet; there are no liner notes. I'm not sure whether he is blind; the cover photo shows him wearing shades. He is a solo artist. He chats briefly between songs, but there is no audience. At the conclusion, he thanks us for listening.

Two of the songs are instrumentals—one on guitar and the other, harmonica. The authors of the songs are not indicated, but I don't recognize them and I assume they are originals. Although unfamiliar, they have familiar themes such as “Gone to California” and “High Water.” My favorite is “Blow, Whistle, Blow,” about a man fleeing the cops who is waiting to hop on a train. The chords sound great on Blind-Dog's National steel guitar, and his strong harp is an effective stand-in for the train whistle. Instrumentally, my only complaint is that some of his slide playing sounds a bit too chattery for my taste.

This CD could have been my second choice but for one problem. It has seven songs songs for a running time of less than 25 minutes. You might say it's an EP rather than an LP. To evaluate it simply on the basis of the average quality of these songs seems unfair to the other contestants.

The Eric Hughes Band, Drink Up

The Eric Hughes Band is a popular, veteran group that plays well-known clubs in the Memphis area. He recently celebrated his tenth anniversary on Beale Street. This is his fourth CD. In spite of the band's apparent prosperity, the packaging is minimal, not even indicating the authors of the songs. I'm going to assume they are originals, with the exception of “Mama Don't Allow,” which is given a John Lee Hooker-style treatment and Sleepy John Estes' “Going to Brownsville.”

The title song leads off the CD and announces loudly and clearly that this is a bar band. The problem is that what sounds good as background music when you're drinking and talking with friends may leave something to be desired when you're sitting alone, giving your full attention to the music.

For me there were two highlights. “Tested Positive For the Blues“ is a novelty number which reminds me of some of Rick Estlin's recent tunes. “That's My Baby's Mama” is a catchy pop tune with an original way of stating a common theme—that the singer is still hung up on one of his ex-girlfrends.

“Going to Brownsville” has its highs and lows. It begins with some presumably deliberate microphone distortion, perhaps in the hope of giving it an old-timey sound. It doesn't work for me, but once the band starts playing, it settles into a very nice groove. Unfortunately, it goes on too long, with Hughes singing the same chorus over and over. I mention this because the same thing happens on the guitar instrumental, “Raining on Beale.” It has a great hook, but they run it into the ground by repeating about 20 times. Rather than these boring repetitions of the melody, wouldn't it be better to give the musicians more solo space?  

Lady Dee, Me and the Boyz, It Will Be Done

Lady Dee is, I presume, Deanna Custard, a soul singer from Wichita with a voice that reminds me of Tina Turner. She is backed by a mediocre-sounding band consisting only of guitar, bass and drums. It would be interesting to see what she could do with more and better instrumentation.

She is at her powerful best on two soul ballads. The opening song, “Never Believe,” is the highlight of the set, and “Living in the Past” is a close second. Both songs were written by Lady Dee, who also wrote the up-tempo title tune.

Unfortunately, I found the rest of the CD to be entirely forgettable.  There are two instrumentals by Spencer Cummings, who is probably the group's guitarist, and three covers, including Johnny “Guitar” Watson's desultory “I Want to Ta-Ta You.”

You may also be interested in reading:

Self-Produced CDs, Part 1