Steeltown Blues
Hamilton, Ontario, is a working class steeltown, so it’s not surprising that they’d have a blue-collar blues scene. André Bisson is a blues smith from the city who has been going strong for about 10 years now, and the accolades have piled up for him. Not only does he get radio airplay and gets to on international tours, but he has been recently named Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2015 Hamilton Blues Awards and pegged a nomination for Overseas Artist of the Year from the British Blues Awards. Listening to his latest CD, Left with the Blues, you can certainly hear why Bisson is so valued. He has a smooth, jazzy, R ‘n’ B, and soul sound, complete with horns that hits my Steely Dan sweet spot. Bisson also has a gruff, worn voice that is somewhat reminiscent of Tom Waits, so you add all of those factors up and you’ve got a commendable artist in my books. Left with the Blues veers from soulful ballads to jumpy blues numbers that ignite sparks like metal on flint. This is a robust blues album that leaves an impression. Heck, “All I Need” comes close to sounding like Billy Vera and the Beaters’ “At This Moment”, just with a Stax and Motown vibe and a faster pace.
The album, though, is a little slick and well varnished – not necessarily a horrible trait, but, sometimes, the production does work against Bisson. Final song “Brand New Day” feature some female back-up singers, but they sound pretty flat and soulless – a sign that the album might be a tad overproduced to the point where the life, at times, got sucked out of the proceedings. If you can overlook that, there are many fine moments sprinkled throughout Left with the Blues. Heck, “There for You” kind of recalls Tom Waits in his earliest incarnation, with just Bisson’s voice and piano to kick things off. And, yes, there’s a blues standard (read: cover) in “Crosscut Saw”, which was made famous by Albert King, that shows that Bisson can more than aptly handle the greats. I’d say that Left with the Blues is a fine record – one with its imperfections, which, again, come from the record’s quest to sound perfect. It could use a little grit in its spit and polish, but these songs work in the context of a lazy late summer’s evening, when you just want to hit the town and have a good time. Left with the Blues gives you that feel, and if that suits your tastes, then you’re going to love this disc.
Rating: 7 outta 10
Album: Left with the Blues
Artist: André Bisson
Label: Self-Released
Release Date: 2015-09-04
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