Page 43 - BiTS_11_NOVEMBER_2022

Chris Canas—Detroit—Third Street Cigar

(www.chriscanas.net)

Chris Canas is a new name to me, though this is his seventh album.
Born in 1984, he is of course from Detroit – the album title, and
the lyrics of his strong, brassy soul-blues opener of the same name
leave the listener in no doubt.

The eleven songs are all Chris’ own compositions, played by a ten
piece band (or various combinations of these musicians). He has
an excellent voice, and his guitar work tends to stay as reasonably
close to the straight blues as you can expect these days. There are
strong, self-descriptively titled numbers - the mid-tempo ‘Blues Blues Blues’ and the rather
speedier ‘Juke Joint Jive’ - and no-nonsense blues tracks such as ‘Addicted’ and ‘Good Man About
To Break Bad’. The rather angry ‘Smoke In The City’ strongly recalls Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson’s
‘Real Mother For Ya’ in arrangement and vocals, whilst ‘Queen Of My World’ is a slow blues with
an impassioned vocal, mournful horns adding to the sparse desolate feel, a fine organ cushion
and some fine guitar work. ‘You Don’t Give A Damn’ is a somewhat retro blues-ballad, ‘Cookie’
rides a reggae rhythm but still keeps a foot in the blues camp, and the closer, ‘Put It In The Pot’
is a big funk workout.

The explicitness of the lyrics on several tracks might prevent radio airplay, but that is really the
only negative thing I can find to say about this set. On this evidence he certainly deserves to be
far better known. Hopefully this album will be a step in the right direction for him. It’s the real
deal.

Norman Darwen

Mark Pocket Goldberg— Off-balance Blues—Independent
Mark is primarily known as a bass player out in California with a
wealth of experience in the blues. A list of those he has worked
with would be extremely lengthy, and would include the likes of
Willie Dixon, James Cotton, Buddy Guy, Joe Houston, Roscoe
Gordon and Mick Taylor. He has also had his songs recorded by
Finis Tasby, Kirk Fletcher and Jack Mack & The Heart Attack.

This set is more or less blues all the way. Mark has a decent, slightly
gruff voice and puts his songs across well, backed by a tight band.
Willie Dixon has certainly left his mark on er, Mark, as evidenced
by his own track, ‘What You Gotta Have’, and which has a lovely
guitar break, and of course the lovely West-side Chicago blues of ‘Willie Dixon Told Me’.

There are many styles of blues here, from the jazzy strut of ‘Babblin’ Blues’ to the soulful R’n’B
of ‘Face In Disguise’, the Canned Heat styled boogie of ‘Rock Bottom’, and the gospel-flavoured
‘Shout It’. ‘Blues With A Twist’ has a strong 60s approach, and the quiet, solo guitar accompanied
title track provides the finale to this rather interesting album.

Norman Darwen