Blues/rock guitarist Randy Dawson has been a longtime fixture in the nightclub and music festival scene in the Greater Toronto Area, but until hearing this CD (his fourth), I had only heard him playing in other people�s bands and that was mostly cover material. So, I�m very happy to discover that he�s just as solid a singer-songwriter as he is a guitarist.
I have to admit that, at first, when Randy�s otherwise pleasant vocals headed towards the higher registers, it made me cringe a bit. At the same time, though, I knew I had heard another voice, a rather famous one, which was very similar to it. After repeated listens, it finally clicked � Joe Walsh (formerly of The Eagles). Joe�s vocals have the same nasal quality, although they remain constant whether he�s singing high or low. It�s an acquired taste, for sure, but then nobody much cared for Bob Dylan�s voice until it became a signature entity either.
In any case, these compositions kick some serious butt. There�s no denying the fluid guitar riffs, snappy rhythms and catchy lyrics. There�s plenty of variety, too � blues, rock, funk, soul, rhythm and blues (and varied fusions of same) � as well as a beautiful acoustic Spanish-Celtic ballad (�Irish Queen�). There is even a spunky shuffling jig (�These Shoes�) that traditional and progressive Newfoundlanders alike should especially dig. The intro to it kind of reminded me of Billy Joel�s �It�s Still Rock and Roll to Me�.
Head-banging rock�n�rollers who were fans of the now-defunct Max Webster, Moe Berg�s Pursuit of Happiness or 54-40 will appreciate �Maniac Insomniac� and �Benefit Blues�.
While Dawson obviously has a rock�n�roll heart, he admits in �Singin� 4U� that �when things go wrong and my face is long, I take comfort in the Blues�. It�s a memorable blues track, vocally, lyrically and instrumentally, but I preferred the heavier blues-rock of �Randy�s Blues� and the title track.
Randy�s topnotch sidemen are Bob Bilton on bass, Art Wanders on keyboards and percussion and Tom Bona on drums, who all blended in perfectly, thanks to Art�s expertise in producing the CD. The mastering was done by Nick Blagona at the popular Metalworks Studios in Mississauga.
Based on D�Nile Blues, I�ll be checking out Randy Dawson�s past and future recordings, too. He�s paid his dues and then some. |
