The Terry B3 |
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Saturday, September 29, 2007 |
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 I suspect few readers of this review will enjoy a personal aquaintance with Terry Blankley, a.k.a. The Blues Daddy. More's the pity, as he's one of the coolest cats and fascinating raconteurs it's been my pleasure to meet.
Now based in Oshawa (just outside of Toronto), Terry's been a professional musician for some fifty-odd years now, and has the stories to prove it - including the one regarding his success as a country artist (!) in the European market. Recorded in his own studios, this self-titled effort is a first under his own leadership. Terry, who plays both keys and harmonica, is joined here by friends Doug Swain on drums, bassist Danny Sandford, Bruce Gorrie on sax, and an extensive cast of guitarists too numerous to list here. Suffice to say that instrumental support is uniformly excellent throughout, including Terry's own keyboard work. (Effective though it is, his harp work never really ventures beyond the rudimentary here). One doesn't spend as many nights singing in smoky bars as Terry has without picking up a certain grit, a bit of sandpaper in the voice. Terry has it in spades, a natural, convincing authenticity that makes one believe every phrase he sings. Which brings us to the disc's lone problem; for whatever reason, Terry occasionally either over-sings here or has chosen to process his voice in ways that detract from his naturally laconic delivery. When he relaxes and simply goes with what comes naturally, he's damn near magnificent; witness "Jarvis Street," or the breezy "The Old Bluesman," where he sounds uncannily like Mark Knopfler, or the harder-edged "Mississippi Love Machine," where he growls and shouts with the kind of authority one wouldn't dream of questioning. But elsewhere one gets the impression he was just a little too eager to try out some new studio trickery, and rather than enhance it merely obscures his talent. Next time he'd do well to stick with the simple and straighforward; he doesn't need any help, and the less there is between that voice and the listener the better. Terry's originals here are spiced here with a few well-chosen covers, placing him in much the same musical territory as Charlie Rich; like the Silver Fox, his is a borderless blend of country, blues, and R&B melded into a seamless whole. Nice stuff for the end of the evening, when you're all alone and the blues are the best company you're likely to find. Rootetoot Records690 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada L1G 4V7 E-Mail: zzzz@sympatico.ca http://www.mnblues.com/ http://www.communication.ca/soundbytes/reviews The Blues Daddy Terry B. Terry B. sounds like he's just walked out of the bayou and has a huge toad stuck in his throat. The voice is thick and muddy with a raw edge. The style falls somewhere between the old southern bluesmen and David Clayton Thomas with an agonizing sore throat. There's an authenticity to this voice that cannot be denied. The writing is like that too, with a ragged and real sound that belongs to the blues and shouts out to be heard. There's nothing slick or commercial about the music on this release. The performance is gritty, aggressive music from half-lit, blue-aired rooms filled with the smell of smoke and alcohol. This is the music that creeps under the doors of side-street bars and into the street outside, taking hold of passers-by and drawing them in to the dark room behind the door. This is good rock and roll. This is good blues. A studio recording, the music on The Blues Daddy sounds live. It has the sound of a too old sound system pushed to its limits so the music can push through the crowd and be heard. It's music best heard over a brew or a shot in a crowded smoke-filled room, but this set brings the bar room home. All you have to do is dim the lights, pour a drink, and relax. These blues will bring you back to where you want to be. It doesn't hurt that Terry B. is supported by nine excellent blues musicians and three solid backup vocalists. The sound is full and driving, the sort of music that may let you sit in one place but won't let you doze off. Even the slow songs are driven by a groove that's made to get people up and dancing. All but two of these songs were written by Terry Blankley a.k.a. Terry B. His understanding of the blues and respect for the tradition behind the blues is apparent in every song. Most have the feel of acoustic blues or of the sort of electro-acoustic sound we often heard in the Fifties. All sound authentic enough to have come out of that long-ago era. Many of these songs sound like the blues-driven rock and roll of a half century ago. "Wind Me Up and Turn Me On" is pure Carl Perkins, with a rocking country beat, blues guitar riffs, and a tongue-in-cheek hillbilly lyric. Slipping into the world of rhythm and blues, the slow-walking "Ports of Call" ends with a brief tip of the hat to the The Drifters' late-Fifties hit, "Ruby Baby." Other songs take on a jazzier style, bringing jazz and the blues together in a comfortable marriage. The very B.B. King sounding "Will Love Come Callin'" and the quieter, groovier "Lenny" are two examples of this transition into the world of jazz. "The Old Bluesman" stands out as the song that departs furthest from what many will consider the blues tradition. This song shuffles along on a backing of Louisiana reggae, not as schlock as Jimmy Buffet's songs and more varied and interesting. This song gives the listener a nice break at the middle of the set. It's like when the band walks off the stage and throws on the jukebox for twenty minutes while the musicians grab a smoke. One of two songs on this release not written by Blankley, his interpretation of "Trouble in Mind" takes me back to several great recordings of this song released in the Fifties and Sixties. This is a soulful, authentic presentation of a powerful song. Terry B. wails on this number like he's lived with sorrow all his life. An independent release, The Blues Daddy brings live music to the car stereo and the living room with a level of authenticity that's rare in studio-produced blues records. This release should be added to any collection of contemporary Canadian blues. http://www.communication.ca/soundbytes/reviews |
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The Blues Daddy - 2001 - Rootetoot Records |
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