| CD REVIEW (This review has also been published at www.701.com) |
| DRIVE ON - MICHAEL JEROME BROWNE |
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| Considering that Borealis Recording Company Ltd. bills itself as "The Best in Canadian Folk Music", there is no mention in the press release where Michael's Canadian connection lies, but never mind, it's about time Canada started stealing away American musical prodigies instead of the other way around! Gifted as a multi-instrumentalist, Michael's smooth-as-Dewar's vocals seemed instantly familiar to me but the closest parallel I could think of was John Hiatt, whose release, "Crossing Muddy Waters" is very similar. Certainly, the instrumentation will bring Michael Pickett to mind. Although only a third of the CD contains originals compositions, mellow and upbeat and co-written with Ms. B. Markus, they are all, no doubt, destined to be instant "neo-classics", especially 'Children', 'Cancer Ward Blues' (dedicated to Vann "Piano Man" Walls and his wife, Ruth) and 'Guitar Mama', a personal tribute to all female musicians. Drive On embraces a wide variety of roots-based musical styles, and Michael and company give each song a genuine authenticity in their interpretation. Covering such great artists as Hudson "Tampa Red" Whittaker ('You Missed a Good Man'), George Jones ('Someday My Day Will Come'), Stevie Wonder ('Gotta Have You'), the James Alexander-Sam Cooke collaboration, 'That's Where It's At', and a surprise entry by Irving Berlin, 'He Ain't Got Rhythm', this is a must-have collection for lovers of "Old South" resophonic slide guitar and fret gourd banjo. Guest musicians include Jordan Officer on acoustic guitar, Ray Bonneville on harmony vocals and harmonica, Jody Golick on tenor saxophone, John McGolgan (one of the best drummers I've ever heard) and Nicholas Caloia on string bass. While I wasn't previously familiar with Michael's musical background, I was impressed to see the line-up of talent he has formerly performed with - Big Moose Walker, Magic Slim, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Johnnie Johnson, the Stephen Barry Band, and the aforementioned Vann Walls. Michael's goal is apparently to abolish the strict borders in music merchandising that sometimes prevent certain performers from being heard due to the category in which they have been slotted. To quote Michael in the press release, "Songsters like Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt and a lot of others, played all kinds of tunes, and blues was just one aspect of what they did". I also noticed that the press release, in the top corner, has a notation reading "File under: Blues", which would seem totally at odds with Michael's goal, but at least in this case the artist is calling the shots for once. |
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