Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Modern Primitive , from Brandon Isaak and it's an interesting mix of blues, rock, folk and jazz music. Opening with Lost Love and Loose Women , a bluesy shuffle, features Isakk on lead vocal and guitar and lap steel and Keith Picot on bass. Jazzy, Valentine Blues is a fleet fingered rag with solid vocals and trademark guitar soloing by Isaak. Very nice. With a bit of swampy blues, I Wish I Did What I Said is another really cool tracks with Isaak on resonator, harmonica and lead vocal. This track has it's own feel but traces to early southern country blues. Very nice. My choice for radio track of the release is swing track, Something New, with a solid melody, strong rhythm and really nice lap steel work by Isaak.  My favorite track on the release is Six Little Letters with it's driving piano rhythm and vocal/guitar call and response. I really like Isaak's guitar soloing on this track with excellent phra...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Rise 'N' Shine , from Brandon Isaak and it's simply cool. Opening with shuffle track, Right Around The Corner, Brandon Isaak blends his catchy melody with his strong vocal styling, guitar work and Willie MacCalder's piano work for a super solid opener. Another real cool track, Can't Do No Wrong , has that hot jazz swing with excellent finger work, punctual harp, and seductive lyrics by Isaak. Excellent! One of my own personal favorites on the release is PhD in The Blues with a bopping bass line, a slight, funky, Albert King style and hot, smoking guitar. Country style blues, Me And The Blues is a real nice showcase for Isaak's voice and his slide dobro, followed only lightly by Chip Hart on drums is just perfect. Another particularly soulful track, Blame It On The Girl is my personal choice for radio track with an excellent melody and really inviting vocal work by Isaak, with primarily key ba...

QUEBEC BLUES ARTISTS SWEEP MAPLE BLUES AWARDS Montreal's Steve Hill Tops Tally With Four Wins January 19, 2015 (Toronto) - Blue Monday, thought to be the most depressing day of the year, was anything but last night Toronto’s Koerner Hall, as internationally renowned Canadian Blues Artists from coast-to-coast were honoured by their peers at the 18 th Annual Maple Blues Awards gala. Montreal’s one-man band, Steve Hill took home all of the awards he was nominated for including Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, Recording of the Year for Solo Recordings Vol. 2, and Guitar Player of the Year. Angel Forrest won two awards including Female Vocalist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. Also representing the thriving Quebec blues scene were Nanette Workman who won the Blues with a Feeling Lifetime Achievement Award and Greg Morency of the Paul DesLauriers Band who won Bassist of the Year. From Montreal, Guy Belanger won Harmonica Play...

I just received the newest release, Un-Twisted , from Dave "Hurricane" Hoerl and it's quite good. Opening with Soul Mate , an easy going 12 bar, Hoerl lays back on the harp and with cool guitar lead from James "Buddy" Rogers. Pure & Simple Blues has a nice swing to it and a cool bass line from Roger Brant. Hoerl plays smooth harp riffs and trades solos with Rogers. Nice! A cool, bouncy cover of I'd Rather Be Blind, Crippled and Crazy gives Hoerl and Dave Dykhuizen on guitar a real nice platform to jam. Vocals by Hoerl are particuarly cool on this track. Period sounding track, Snake Charmer , is nicely done with really nice classic harmonica styling and super guitar work from Brandon Isaak. Fight Of The Century has a show sound with a light James Brown guitar rhythms by Double D and strong organ work from Dave "Cob" Webb. Don't Think It Can't Happen To You is an easy going shuffle with a rich organ solo from Webb and of course nic...

I just received the newest release, Here On Earth , from Brandon "Yukon Slim" Isaak and it's quite good! Opening with Jim O'Jim a quiet finger picked traditional country blues style track Isaak has a solid voice, a firm guitar bass and nice harp. All Night Long is a poppy acoustic track with alternating bass line and nicely complimented harp work. Gamble On Love is a solidly written "Hillbilly Jazz" track with a nice swing, Dixieland influences and jazzy guitar riffs. This track is a lot of fun. Daniel Lapp adds some really nice cornet as well but Isaak has the center stage with some really clean guitar riffs. Meet Me There has gospel feel and nice slide work. Isaak continues to demonstrate that he is really a solid singer/songwriter deserving of much broader attention. Getting loose on slide on this track adds a cool warmth. Dead Ass Fool has a real proper John Lee Hooker style with the foot stomp and all. With primitive but concise guitar riffs an...

        Born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon and currently sharing his time between home and British Columbia, Brandon “Yukon Slim” Isaak is one of Canada's most authentic blues musicians on the scene today.   What separates Brandon Isaak from the rest of the pack, besides his professional musicianship and songwriting, is his ability to connect and involve the audience in his live shows. He is a master storyteller with a sharp sense of humour and his affinity for the rawness and spontaneity of the blues is second to none, as anyone who has had the privilege of being in his audiences will tell you. An accomplished and versatile musician, Isaak plays a wide variety of music styles in his one-man shows, including Ragtime, Delta Blues, Piedmont, Gospel and Swing.   Set for release on March 25, 2014,  Here on Earth  is the follow up to his debut solo album  Bluesman's Plea . It was recorded and produced in Whit...

"There comes a time in your life, if you are very lucky, that you get the opportunity to realize that you are doing exactly what you were meant to do, Brandon Isaak, I believe has finally reached that stage in his life, and his amazing new debut release, "Bluesman's Plea" proves that to the rest of us." - John Vermilyea, Blues Underground Network Bluesman's Plea was recently selected as the best artist debut album and best artwork in the Blues Underground Network's Year End Review 2011. bluesundergroundnetwork.com Maple Blues Magazine Review, January 2012 by John Valenteyn torontobluessociety.com Bman's Blues Report Review, December 27, 2011 bmansbluesreport.com What separates Brandon Isaak from the rest of the pack, besides his professional musicianship and song writing, is his ability to connect and involve the audience in his live shows. He is a master storyteller with a sharp sense of humour and his affinity ...

I just received the new release from Brandon ' Yukon Slim" Isaak, Bluesman's Plea. The release is made up of 14 tracks all of which are self penned. I found the release enjoyable to listen to and overall lighthearted and upbeat. Isaak's liner notes indicate that the songs are true stories about love, life and death only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. OverallI found the release to be fingerpicking Piedmont style blues with roots in the blues and spirituals. Brandons earlier career included a charteer member of the Twisters. My favorite track is the offbeat A Little Wine. Of special note is Brandon is donating $1.00 from each cd sale toward cancer research. Write on our Facebook Wall or post your Photos of great blues events! -  Here

This young red haired guitar player has monster tone and technique. He moved from his home town of Whitehorse, Yukon to Vancouver, BC in 1999, where he joined the Twisters. He has shared the stage with many great blues artists, including Taj Mahal, Lil' Ed and the blues imperials, Robin Ford, Jeff Healy, Canned Heat, Zora Young, Big Dave Mclean, Rusty Zinn just to name a few. Most recently, Brandon returned from a 2 month European tour, where he played along side Joe Louis Walker, Willie Hayes and Ken Faltonson, on numerous festivals and TV shows. Brandon Played guitar on the 2006 Juno award winning album "let it loose" with Kenny "Blues Boss"Wayne, and appears on 11 albums with many different artists. When he plays, he travels to a different time and space and you can hear it as well as see it. Write on our Facebook Wall or post your Photos of great blues events! -  Here