David Clayton-Thomas – A Blues for the New World

DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS

A Blues for the New World

Universal

davidclaytonthomas.com

On A Blues for the New World, David Clayton-Thomas sounds as good – or better – than he did in his hit-maker heyday as lead singer of Blood, Sweat and Tears.  His voice remains as powerful as ever and his superb studio band retains the familiar horns-and-rhythm section sound he mined so well with BS&T – even elevating the jazz-meets-blues style to a new level with excellent arrangements. But, more than anything else, it is David’s substantial songwriting that raises this album to a level well beyond most contemporary blues releases. These are songs of substance with much to say about our world and the human condition.

“Politics,” for example, a condemnation of corrupt and out-of-touch politicians, might be topical at almost any time, but it seems particularly relevant to hear it this week with the Canadian news dominated by the allegedly fraudulent expenses claims of certain senators, the alleged illegal drug use of the mayor of Toronto, and the systemic corruption coming to light in Quebec.

Among the other highlights are “Holy Moses,” based on the biblical legend of the Israelites’ Exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt which is given a potent gospel arrangement featuring Rob Gusevs on a swirling Hammond B3 and vocal support from Sharon Riley’s Faith Chorale; “Calico Girl,” which recalls a relationship with an elusive woman that could just as well be a friend or daughter as a lover, features Roly Platt’s bluesy harmonica on top of the other horns as it builds from a downhome blues into a full-throttle arrangement; “A Blues for the World,” a slow, contemplative blues which offers both analysis of the sad state of today’s world and hope for the future; and “Common Ground,” an a cappella arrangement featuring the vocal group Cadence, which offers a father’s advice to a grown child ready to take on the world.

Perhaps the most powerful song on the album is “The Lights of Broadway,” an ode to the resilience of New York City and to human freedom following 9/11. Sharon Riley’s Faith Chorale helps raise the song into a powerful anthem.

Pictured: Mike Regenstreif and David Clayton-Thomas at CKUT during Folk Roots/Folk Branches,June 29, 2006. (Photo: Jadro Subic)

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--Mike Regenstreif

The Way We Feel – The Songs of Gordon Lightfoot

Gordon Lightfoot was still in the relatively early stages of his career as a major folk-rooted singer-songwriter when my own musical interests began to centre on the folk scene. His third LP, Did She Mention My Name, was the first of Lightfoot’s albums that I bought new when it first came out in 1968 and I quickly acquired the first two and many of the ones that followed. His 1960s albums, and several from the ‘70s, still resonate particularly strongly with me.

Over the past decade, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Jory Nash has organized an annual tribute concert at Hugh’s Room in Toronto, in which a revolving cast of artists, and a house band, each do a pair of Lightfoot songs. Lightfoot himself has shown up occasionally and performed a couple of songs – including last Sunday, the third of a three-night stand.

Last night, Jory Nash brought The Way We Feel – The Songs of Gordon Lightfoot to Centrepointe Theatre in Ottawa. Interestingly, although there was overlap, the roster of artists was substantially different from the Hugh’s Room shows last weekend.

MC David Newland, who opened the show with a song and did a great job of keeping the show flowing, and the superb house band – guitarist Jason Fowler, pianist David Matheson, bassist David Woodhead, and Christine Bougie, who switched between drums and lap steel – as well as featured artists Lori Cullen, John Wort Hannam, Jory Nash, and Andy Maize & Josh Finlayson of the Skydiggers, were on the Hugh’s Room bill. The additional artists in Ottawa were Cadence, Rick Fines, Oh Susanna and Suzie Vinnick (fresh from winning a couple of Maple Blues Awards last week). Band members Jason Fowler and David Matheson also took turns in the spotlight with a couple of songs each.

In the hundreds of songs Lightfoot has written and recorded over his long career, the artists had a wealth of material to choose from and included several of his best known songs and several of the more obscure.

Certainly, the evening’s high point was when the entire cast gathered on stage at the end for gospel-style version of “Rich Man’s Spiritual,” which Jory Nash pointed out was the first song on Lightfoot’s first album. Each verse was led by a different artist or group of artists, with everyone else joining in and leading the audience on the call-and-response parts. It was a joyous moment and a perfect finale.

Among the other highlights were Jory’s solo version of “Mother of a Miner’s Child,” Lori Cullen’s jazz ballad version of “Rainy Day People,” Rick Fines’ soulful rendition of “Ribbon of Darkness,” which included some sublime slide guitar playing, Oh Susanna’s country version of “Early Morning Rain,” John Wort Hannam’s lovely solo rendition of "Your Love’s Return" and Suzie Vinnick’s electrified take on “If You Could Read My Mind.”

In all honesty, there were a couple of arrangements that didn’t work for me. Lori Cullen’s disco version of “Song for a Winter’s Night” robbed the song of the beauty of its quiet intimacy. And I really wished that a cappella quartet Cadence had just concentrated on the lyrics to “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” instead of also using their voices to imitate the musical instruments – the net effect was to lose much of the impact of the song’s story.

In a concert that included just 22 songs, there were so many great Lightfoot songs left unsung. No wonder this show can be mounted annually without losing its freshness.

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--Mike Regenstreif