CD Review
Grant Lyle
Brotherhood
(Onyx)
by Mark E. Gallo
Review date: July 2001
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1999 KBA Award Winner
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by the Blues Foundation
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Granted, not all talented players get a crack at the world stage. Some players are so good, though, it's just a shame that they don't get the break. Grant Lyle is such a player. An electric blues guitarist out of Toronto, he's reportedly a major player up that way. Unfortunately, like most indie releases the publicity budget is probably miniscule and persuading distributors to carry small label blues is next to impossible. That makes the odds of getting widespread airplay for this 1998 gem pretty slim, although it apparently has gotten some in Canada and in Europe. Lyle has an interesting style. It's very mellow, even when he gnashes Hendrix style lines. There are shades of SRV, too, though more frequently vocally than in the guitar. His guitar work is often reminiscent of Roy Buchanan. The opening version of "Stranger Here," has an understated (Lyle's trademark) lope to it that gives it a slow-motion Harley-down-the-road feel. There are covers here, too, of "Ain't Nobody's Business," Muddy's "Can't Be Satisfied" and Otis Rush's "All Your Lovin,' all of which get that silky Brotherhood interpretation. The bulk of the set is original and Lyle and his compatriots (drummer Steve Woods and bassist Scott Brammer) slow burn throughout. "Walkin' Away," with it's jazzy underpinnings, is a favorite, but nothing here is less than first-rate.
Web site: www.accessv.com/~dal/grantlyle
This review is copyright © 2000 by Mark E. Gallo, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without written permission. For permission to use this review please send an E-mail to Ray Stiles.
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