The long-anticipated release by Pete Schmidt and Shane Scott, two bedrock musicians on the Toronto-area blues scene, has finally met the light of day. A groove-laden journey, 'Blues Approved' consists of 15 blues-drenched collaborations featuring front tier players who have jammed, played, and recorded with guitarist Pete and bassist Shane.
Pete and Shane collectively stepped up to the plate as designated hitters: Not content merely to add rhythmic flavor and exquisite guitar, they also harnessed and drove the entire venture, in terms of writing the music, producing the tracks, and managing the entire recording process at Shane's own Bass Line Studios.
A student of practically every major blues and jazz player out there, Pete's managed to distil a wide array of influences into a uniquely seamless and highly rhythmic heads-up style. As far as tone is concerned, other players would kill for what Schmidt has.
"Back Flip" kicks things off, and it's an instrumental tribute to T-Bone Walker in all but name. A couple of other instrumentals grace the recording, including. "P.T. Shuffle", a reverb-drenched B.B King-style swing number. "Harpin' is dreamily nostalgic, thanks to outstanding harp work from Dave Rotundo and Doctor Nick (Ouroumov), two mainstays on the robust Toronto blues circuit.
Chuck Jackson's (of Downchild Blues Band fame) grumpy yet relaxed vocals are quintessentially bluesy--and impossible to resist. Either "How Long" or "Blue Moon Blues" could fit into a Downchild best-of collection like bread on butter.
The shiniest pearl in the blues oyster is "Back On Top", featuring Ricky Day, a highly respected and polished veteran who can trace his career as far back as even Mel Brown. In the Robert Cray/Al Green mode, Day epitomizes style and taste, and he's also keenly attuned to the irony at the heart of a great blues song.
Mark "Bird" Stafford soars to the stratosphere via a cool swinging West Coast breeze on "I'll Get You Back", while abetted by some soaring boogie piano from Brown and the authoritatively crisp, assertive guitar work of Schmidt. Dave Rotundo kicks the boogie shaker "Get Lucky" into high gear.
The only track that never ignites is "Two Women", but harmonica maestro Jerome Godboo redeems himself on the poignant "Jessie". Chicago blues gets the royal treatment courtesy of Little Bobby (Chorney). A fine up-and-comer, Bobby holds court like a seasoned pro on "No Need To Be Alone", with Pete's axe glistening on the cutting edge, while calling up the best of Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Buddy Guy. Bobby also gets to blow sweet harp on a greasy guitar-drenched romp, "If It Ain't One Thing".
Shane more than hold his own vocally, such as on "Gimme All Your Money on which he conveys a nice touch of menace on a lowdown dirty blues. He gets to sink his teeth into the devilishly clever "Vampire Woman, with lots of weird string bending from Schmidt adding to the tension. "Every Morning" features Shane on an outing with an urbane, almost jazzy polish to it, featuring in-the-pocket saxophone solos by way of Larry Bodner, plus mucho retro-cool keyboard stylings from Mel Brown.
If 'Blues Approved' were a baseball team, it would possess a batting average of .933-- with lots of doubles, triples, and home runs along the way. So line up and get your ticket right away!
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