While Crazy Shades of Blue may be Russ Kelley’s debut CD as
a singer-songwriter, he’s no newcomer. I knew Russ back in the early-1970s and used
to listen to him a lot in the bars and coffee houses of Montreal. He’d been a
member of Rings and Things, a Montreal folk group of the ‘60s that was just a
little before my time, and was working a lot then in a duo with Sue Lothrop,
who had also been part of Rings and Things. I remember Russ and Sue for their
sweet harmonies and eclectic repertoire.
I lost contact with Russ for many years after he left
Montreal and later learned from him that he’d moved to Nova Scotia and was
performing there until he suffered a vocal cord injury in the late-1980s that
led to surgery and the loss of part of his vocal range.
Russ quit performing after the vocal cord injury and became a cultural bureaucrat.
When I reconnected with him about 10 years ago he was living in Ottawa as head of
the music section of the Canada Council. He retired from the Canada Council in
2011 and, happily, got serious again about songwriting and performing.
Of course, Russ’ voice is now rougher than I remember from
back in the day – it’s a ragged but right kind of voice well-suited suited to
the conversational kind of delivery he’s adopted and Russ knows how to use it
to communicate the words and emotions behind the songs.
Crazy Shades of Blue is a varied album of mature songs that
draw on contemporary folk, blues and jazz influences. One song, “Elaine,” is
from back in the days when I used to see Russ play in Montreal, with the rest,
I believe, being of recent vintage.
Among my favourite tracks on the album are the folkier songs
like “Sometimes It’s So Simple,” which kicks off the CD, “Somewhere Later Down
the Road,” which features some nice slide guitar work by Doug Cox, and “In the
Middle of the Day,” inspired by a story Russ heard told by comedian Margaret
Cho.
Others highlights include the jazzy title track which
features Jane Bunnett’s saxophone moving nicely in and around Russ’ singing, and
“I Disappear,” an exploration of personal identity after the dissolution of a
marriage.
For folks here in Ottawa, Russ launches Crazy Shades of Blue
at the National Arts Centre Fourth Stage on Wednesday, June 19, 7:30 pm.
--Mike Regenstreif
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