Words lose their currency when overused. Take 'genius,' once reserved for towering figures the likes of Mozart and Beethoven. When applied to such concepts as 'reality TV' and squeezable cheese, the very notion becomes suspect.
Kevin Breit, 'til now best known beyond Toronto as "Norah Jones' guitarist" (he also works with Cassandra Wilson), is often called a genius. A master of virtually every stringed instrument ever invented (his previous project, a collaboration with Harry Manx, saw him wielding such oddities as mandocello, banjolin, and guitorgan) he's the type of player others refer to with reverential awe. In local circles he's known as one of the most inventive fretmen on the scene, and when he's in town his gigs with the Sisters Euclid are considered a must-see.
For this project the Sisters are working with vocalist John Dickie, a gravel-voiced fixture in Toronto's clubs for more years than either he or I would care to admit. Other core members include Rob Gusevs on keys, drummer Gary Taylor, and bassist Ian DeSouza (who's also credited with 'shovel"). Dickie and Breit are responsible for the bulk of the tunes, either separately or as collaborative efforts. And here the press package says it best, describing the music as "crazy cosmic blues from another planet."
That seems as good a description as any. I suspect many blues fans will question the connection at all, but the adventurous will find much to like in Breit's playful deconstructions of twelve-bar convention, and Dickie is a powerful vocalist whose sheer conviction powers songs that might otherwise falter to success.
In short, don't look for anything typical here. Breit in particular is relentless in his musical curiosity, restlessly experimenting with sonics as his angular, scratchy leads weave in and out. The band is tight as only a working unit can be, toying with tempos and tricky rhythms with flawless precision. The sensibility is definitely post-modern, with the compositions more sound-and-tone poems than anything resembling typical song structure. Snippets of 'found sound' are employed between many, brief musical interludes elsewhere, and the disc closes with a weird sound collage. It's a risky approach that will appeal to some more than others; those who find meaning in carefully constructed collections of seemingly random sounds will no doubt find it fascinating. (Me, I'm not so sure; however fascinating the first few times 'round, I can't see it standing up to repeated listening).
But for the most part - and this is the success of the project - Breit and company manage to keep things, however quirky they may be, emotionally engaging. Production values owe more to the world of rock than the typical bare-bones sound favoured for blues; there's a lot of studio trickery at work, but the feel remains sufficiently organic. It's readily apparent The Sisters take unabashed delight in simply being challenging, but they have the chops to pull of just about any feat of musical legerdemain. And in the end John And The Sisters remains a surprisingly (and I mean that in a good way) enjoyable listen.
Is it a work of genius? I think it might be, if only for the sheer originality of Breit's playing - really, there's no one quite like him. Whether it will stand the test of time remains to be seen. Give it a close listen, though, and it just might alter your musical world a little. And isn't that what art is all about?
NorthernBlues Music, Inc.
225 Sterling Road, Unit 19
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Phone: 866-540-0003
Fax: 416-536-1494
E-Mail: info@northernblues.com
Web: www.northernblues.com
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