Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Cleaner , from Dan McKinnon and it's quite good. Opening with blues rocker, Storm , McKinnon on guitar sets a great pace with scorching riffs and lead vocal, backed by Peter Eratostene on bass and Michael Carbone on drums. Walk That Aisle is another solid rocker with a driving bass line and distorted guitar. Slinky, 17 Years has a melodic radio feel with Albert King flavored guitar riffs. Rowdy romper, King Baby , has a swaggering ZZ Top kind of feel but with McKinnon's own signature riffs and vocal styling. Very cool. One of my favorite tracks is Junior Kimbrough flavored All Mine with it's distinct bass line, driving drum line and Kimbrough like guitar riffs. McKinnin takes a nice excursion on guitar on this 6 plus minute track giving it real bite. Very nice. Shuffle track, More Than Enough has a polished Robben Ford feel and McKinnon's guitar riffs are clean and definitive. Very nice. Ballad, T...

Blues Guitarist Dan McKinnon Releases New CD As Sharp As Possible November 19, 2013          Mixing equal parts musical scholar, businessman and tattooed rock n’ roll rebel, Toronto guitarist Dan McKinnon is not your average bluesman. While his music is rooted in blues styles ranging from traditional, country and electric, McKinnon has also publicly declared his love for glam rock, fusion, hard bop, and heavy metal. It is this mélange of musical influences that has created the sound that McKinnon is known for and presents on his new CD As Sharp As Possible . His self-titled debut E.P. was released in early 2012 to glowing reviews and widespread airplay across North America - including regular positions on the Roots Music Report charts . “Dan McKinnon is certainly ready for the spotlight. His debut EP shines a light on the wide spectrum of sounds he can create. From the slow and soulful to the edgy solo...

I just received the newest release (November 19, 2013), As Sharp As Possible , from Dan McKinnon and it's a rockin blues riot! Opening with Ain't Looking Back , a strong blues rocker with hot drumming from Jon Foster, this 3 piece band plays with a lot of snarl. Aaron Carter plays with the intensity of Dusty Hill and Mc Kinnon uses his lead work as a flame thrower through hot dry timbers. King Of The Hill has a lot of swagger with a melodic edge a bit like Foghat. This is no slide guitar extravaganza so don't ask me why I say that but the music just has that sound. Very cool. Lucky One has a Chicago/jazz/Latin feel with a real nice touch by Foster. Clean, precise riffs paired with nasty dirty riffs make this a real interesting track. Got It Bad comes out of the gate like old Procol Harem (w/ Robin Trower) but with more of a groove. McKinnon takes no prisoners on his soloing clearing the way for vocal harmonies. Killing Time is a slow blues number with a lot of breath...

I have a new EP debut from Dan McKinnon , a talented Toronto native. McKinnon's new release has 4 strong tracks displaying his feel for the blues and his technical acuity on the guitar. Track one, Satisfied , takes an Albert King style attack at the blues with an unusual rhythm basis and plays some pretty tasty blues riffs as a highlight to the song. No question...man can play. Track 2, Blues For Brother Nelson is more in jumps style with that jazzy edge... think Gatemouth Brown. It's a strong track and gives McKinnon a great opportunity to lay down some strong grooves. Track 3, Bad Habit , is a slow blues with an "woman problem" story line. McMinnon uses the lower octave of his guitar neck to set the stage for some dynamic soloing on this cut. Probably the strongest track on the EP, Bad Habit shows some strong chops. The Ep finishes up with Some Kind OF Special , a rockin' blues which of course gives McKinnon a chance to play some hot licks on his guitar. Overal...