The jaw-dropping vocal style and tone of the then-13-year-old performer I heard last year at the Southcoast Bluesfest still resonate in my mind (and ears). At first I thought I was hearing some old blues mama and then discovered it was this precocious young boy! Listening to Old Soul, a 14-song disc covering a gamut of styles from ragtime, Cajun, blues-rock and low-down dirty blues, brings it all back home again.
While I have to admit that I occasionally found Jimmy�s prepubescent hollering a bit over the top, there�s no doubting that he can sing, and with more feeling than I�ve heard from several adult vocalists of the genre. He�ll be a force to contend with as he ages. The fact that he�s already a fairly accomplished blues guitarist (check out his version of Robert Johnson�s �Ramblin� on My Mind�) only adds to his natural onstage charisma.
The �Pusher�-like track is �Deep Blue�, one of several collaborations with his father, Steve, featuring Jimmy on guitar and vocals, Alec Fraser on bass, Jack de Keyzer on slide guitar, Jerome Godboo on blues harp and Rory Donnelly on drums. As much as I love bluesadelic music, my overall favourite on Old Soul is Jimmy�s duet with �King of the Keys� Michael Fonfara on Otis Spann�s �Blues Don�t Like Nobody�, a song I�d never heard before. Jimmy modestly understates, �Hey, that was nice� at the end of the song.
My second favourite is the tasteful opener, �Life�s So Peculiar� (Louis Armstrong/Louis Jordan), appropriately featuring Downchild�s Chuck Jackson on duet vocals and a cameo appearance by jazz wizard Jeff Healey on trumpet.
James Pryor�s �Work Til My Days are Done� is covered, as well as a few more of Robert Johnson�s classics like �Kindhearted Woman Blues� and �Stones in My Passway�. With all due respect to Jimmy, who bravely played solo steel guitar on a fine version of the latter, I find it difficult to listen to that song played by anyone other than Colin James.
The extensive list of stellar blues players prevents me from mentioning everyone, but I�d like to give a special mention to guitarist Danny Marks and harmonica player Donnie Walsh (on Terry/McGee�s �Livin� with the Blues�). Lesser-known but equally talented player include Terry Wilkins, Dave Mowat, Shai Peer, Sam and Ryan Weber and the Reverend Ken Ramsden. Keyboardist Shai Peer was asked to join in with fellow Peterborough resident Ronnie Hawkins, along with Jerome Godboo, at Ottawa�s Barrymore club last year. The Webers and Ramsden played on a lively Acadian-tinged collaboration by Jimmy and his mother, Teresa Bowskill, entitled �Weekend Fish Fry�.
Last but certainly not least, Mark Stafford contributes his infamous harmonica work, backed by guitarist Danny Marks, bassist Alec Fraser and Bob Vespaziani on his superbly snappy drumwork, on �Hotspell (Woman)�, an uptempo boogie shuffle co-written by Steve Bowskill. Master Bowskill is definitely worthy of joining the long line of famous blues �Jimmies�. |
