Dwane Dixon – Betting on A Gambling Man

Dwane Dixon is a genuine Blues-Rock ambassador for the sounds of the 60’ and 70’s pouring body and soul in the genre. He calls his signature style “Rockin’ Roadhouse Blues”, drawing comparisons to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Billy F. Gibbons at the height of their powers. As well as playing in this power trio + 1, with Max Pollack on bass, Tiburce Perlau on drums, and recently added Michel Hains on keys, Dwane participates in other projects that are not in the Blues genre. This results in his original music having influences from all of them. You will hear a bit of Country, a bit of Pop, some Soul, and a lot of Blues on this record. You can find out more about the whole band, and where to buy merchandise, at his website: http://dwanedixon.com/index/

Dawn Tyler Watson – Mad Love

As a representative of the Montreal Blues Society, Dawn was the winner of the International Blues Challenge Band Category in 2017, held in Memphis every year, winner of the 2019 Blues Blast Award of Female Artist of the Year, and has multiple nominations for this year’s Maple Blues Awards. One of those Maple Blues nominations is for this album as Recording of the Year. Dawn also has nominations as Female Vocalist, Songwriter, and Entertainer of the Year. Like most musicians today, also performing in other projects in other genres shows in her music. From her roots come the sounds of Gospel, Soul and Jazz, as well as the Blues. And of course, having the Ben Racine band (see next entry) as her main band for this project does not hurt at all. Dawn’s nicely done web site has a lot of info, including where to buy, both online and hard copy: https://www.dawntylerwatson.com/

Ben Racine Band – Live In Montreal

This and is the usual band playing behind Dawn Tyler Watson, (see above entry), and thus shared in the 2017 IBC win by Dawn. As well, Ben himself won the “Albert King Award” for Best Guitar performance in the band category. His regular band includes two sax players, Kaven Jalbert and Mat “Moose” Mousseau, both of whom have been nominated as Horn Player of the year in this year’s Maple Blues Awards, bass player François Dubé, drummer Nicky Estor, and often, keyboard player Charles Trudel. This album was recorded live in Montreal, as the title implies, and features 15 songs, of which 11 are originals, and 6 have never been recorded before. Certainly worth checking out on their website: http://www.benracineband.com/

Michael Jerome Browne – That’s Where It’s At!

Yet another Montreal-based musician with a Maple Blues nomination this year, Michael is nominated in the Acoustic Act of the Year category. A true old school Blues/Roots musician, Michael is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to string instruments, and is a master at playing quite a few. Some of the reviews for this album include quotes like “... one of Canada’s most significant musical exports; a finger-picking stylist with a hugely talented and nuanced delivery that absolutely makes this 16-track release something out of the ordinary... Browne also brings his own writing to the table with apparent ease and the overall package is truly delightful, spirited and soulful, with some old-school blues edges. That’s Where It’s At! is an album worthy of the title and a good choice for lovers of high-end acoustic blues and roots music.” and “magnifies the magnificence of 1920s and 1930s country blues numbers... A singer of clarity and character, he is as skilled on banjo and mandolin as he is on valuable old guitars.” If you have never heard this man sing and play, you can now at his website: https://www.michaeljeromebrowne.com/

Paul DesLauriers Band – Bounce

More Maple Blues Award nominations for this band this year. The band is nominated for Electric Act of the Year, which they have won once before, along with two previous Entertainer of the Year award. As well, all three members of the band are nominated in their respective instrument category, Paul for Guitarist of the Year, Sam Harrison for Drummer of the Year, and Alec McElcheran for Bassist of the Year. The band also did well at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2016, representing the Montreal Blues Society and placing Second overall in the Band Category. This album follows their successful album Relentless, and brings more of the solid Blues Rock we have come to expect. This trio always deserves a good listen. Find out where you can buy this one at their website: https://www.pauldeslauriersband.com/ 

Fuel Junkie – All Out

This is a band with a bright future. They will be representing the Montreal Blues Society in the 2020 edition of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Becoming very popular in the entire province of Quebec, they have performed at Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Festival International du Blues de Tremblant and Festival de Blues de Victoriaville. Formed in 2014 by tenor saxophone player and singer/composer Mark Leclerc, who had the idea to form a band with a horn section as the frontman with some friends, some of whom were from the school he was studying music at. They include baritone saxophone player Patrice Luneau, tenor saxophone player Philippe Brochu, guitarist Antoine Loiselle, bassist Jean-François Charest, and drummer Philippe Fleury. One of my favorite traits of this band is that they rarely do covers. Almost all of their music is original, and has been since they first started. A superb band to listen to, thankfully quite a bit different than music you hear from others of this young age. Check out their website and buy an album: https://www.fueljunkieband.com/

Durham County Poets – Hand Me Down Blues

Very well-known and respected in Folk/Roots music scene, this band, led by vocalist/songwriter Kevin Harvey, play an eclectic blend of blues and folk, with tinges of gospel and swing tossed in for good measure. They are five seasoned musicians, all of whom are songwriters, who work together individually and collaboratively in composing their music. Delving into a variety of styles and genres, their musical influences include a broad range of artists. From The Band to James Taylor, Muddy Waters to Dire Straits. The band also features David Whyte on electric guitars and vocals, Neil Elsmore on guitars and vocals, Carl Rufh on double bass and vocals and Rob Couture (formerly of The Echo Hunters) on drums and percussion. This is their first all Blues album inspired by Kevin’s encounter with Muddy Waters at his first Blues concert at the now gone Spectrum of Montreal, just a little while before the accident that put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Kevin’s voice is superb, and the man is always jovial and smiling. A true inspiration to a lot of folks that know him. The band has their first Maple Blues nomination this year, for Best New Group/Artist of the Year. Lots more info at their website: https://durhamcountypoets.com/home

Angel Forrest – Hell Bent with Grace

With another Maple Blues nomination this year, for Female Vocalist of the Year, an award she has won six straight years in the past, Angel has just released this album with her band. The core of the band is composed of husband Denis Coulombe on rhythm guitar, his brother Sly on drums, and Ricky Paquette on lead guitar. Angel also participated in the International Blues Challenge representing the Montreal Blues Society, in 2018, and made it to the finals. Never limited to blues, Angel sings in the whole country, blues and rock spectrum, and is most famous for her interpretation of Janis Joplin songs, which she has been doing for over 30 years. There is plenty of information and music to listen to and buy on her website: https://www.angelforrest.ca/

Mike Goudreau – Acoustic Sessions

As one of my good friends in the Canadian Blues scene, James Doran of Choose the Blues Productions, says, “If the true test of a great artist is that you recognize him within the first few bars of a song, then Mike Goudreau is a great artist! A boppin’, swinging joie de vivre in every song whether it's Blues or Jazz”. His influences include, but are not limited to, Chuck Berry, Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and later, Albert King, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Powder Blues Band and Downchild Blues band. Such diverse interests help to explain why Mike is comfortable in so many musical genres, especially jazz and blues. Mike himself says about this album, “I wanted to surprise people and I drifted a bit with style on this twentieth album. Some of my songs are more of Americana, which mixes folk, country, roots, blues and others.” His website is at https://www.mikegoudreau.com/

Jim Zeller – Blues From Another Planet

Montreal’s Jim Zeller is a harmonica ace, a forty-year man with eight albums under his belt and a long list of session credits, principally with Nanette Workman, Boule Noire and the rock band Mahogany Rush. Known for his wild stage show, his albums reflect his taste for the unusual and unpredictable. He plays ‘an assortment of extreme and treated chromatic, diatonic and low diatonic harmonicas, both amplified and acoustic’. Jim has also been nominated for a Maple Blues Award this year, as Harmonica Player of the Year. He’s joined for this album by Jimmy James & Carl Dutremble on guitars, Marc Deschênes on bass and Bernard DesLauriers on drums. As seen on the front page of his web site, Muddy Waters once said to him "Son, I like the way you play that harmonica- you play it like a violin." Jim has the distinction of being able to say he has performed 32 times at the Festival International de Jazz Montreal. His website can be found here: https://jimzeller.wixsite.com/jimzeller