It's been a great year (2003) to be a blues fan. The Great White North has become a talent mecca, a captivating landscape of stimulating performers, and Canadian labels are taking the lead in exposing a wide range of established artists, plus talented up-and-comers. Yet independent productions are where it's really happening at (like everywhere it seems), so here is one reviewer's take on the best-of-the-best by Canadian blues performers during 2003 (in no particular order):
1.PETE SCHMIDT & SHANE SCOTT: BLUES APPROVED (www.peteschmidt.com)--If Canada ever gets a space program, they should put this multi-faceted recording on board a shuttle and get the news to outer space inhabitants that Toronto could be the blues center of the universe. Taste, intensity, and creativity abound.
2.ROXANNE POTVIN: CARELESS LOVING (www.jw-jones.com/Roxanne/)-- Nothing less than the emergence of a star! Based in Ottawa, you'll be literally knocked out by Potvin's talent. This is the best debut by any Canadian artist that I've ever heard.
3.DAVE ROTUNDO: BLUES IGNITED (www.davidrotundo.com)--: A stunning accomplishment by a harmonica hero who has also become a terrific vocalist and writer too. It should catapult Rotundo to international prominence.
4.MARK STAFFORD: HARPSPACE (www.markbirdstafford.com)--Stafford is a killer performer, and also the master of West-Coast harmonica stylings, and his latest is a potent blend of Chicago Blues, West Coast Swing, Texas shuffles, and funky grooves.
5.THE RICK FINES TRIO: RILEY WANTS HIS LIFE BACK (www.rickfines.com)--This is not only the best Canadian blues release of 2003, it's the best period. The songs have a sophisticated and retro flavor to them, but this is far, far more than a memory lane expedition.
6.RAY BONNEVILLE: ROLL IT DOWN (www.stonyplainrecords.com)-This guy sets incredible standards for himself, but believe it or not, this one is even better than his Juno-award winning 'Gust of Wind'.
7.HARRY MANX & KEVIN BREIT: JUBILEE (www.northernblues.com)- An unpredictable pairing, but these out-of-the-box string wizards left to their own devices produce spontaneous musical combustion and a wondrous hybrid. Impossible to classify.
8.CAMEO BLUES BAND: ALL PLAY AND NO WORK (www.makeitrealrecords.com) The band (with a slew of guests) named after their long time Cameo Lounge gig at the Hotel Isabella re-unite, and it proves to be exactly what the title promises. Old-fashioned intoxicating fun.
9.BIG DAVE MCLEAN: BLUES FROM THE MIDDLE (www.stonyplainrecords) -
This woefully under-recorded Winnipeger brings it all home on this totally convincing effort. Proof that it is possible to re-create the spirit of Chess Records in a modern studio.
10.BEBOPS COWBOYS: SOME KIND OF FANTASY (www.bebopcowboys.com) Steve Briggs, a guitarist who can play any genre with the best of them, has put his heart and soul into reviving the glories of country swing, along with a stellar outfit (Howard Willett, Burke Carroll, etc.). The result is an endearingly timeless recording.
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