While Ottawa, Canada may not seem the most fertile
place for a blues community, the city has produced its
share of fine players, including Tony D and Sue Foley.
Its annual blues festival is considered, next to
Chicago's, to be North America’s premier blues event,
with tens of thousands of fans crowding to see a wide
range of artists. And with clubs like The Rainbow, it’s
possible to catch local acts any day of the week.
Victor Nesrallah has always had his fingers in a lot
of pies, as evidenced by the rock-inflected Always
Dreaming (Free Flying Music, 1994) and Blood From
the Stone (Free Flying Music, 1999)—a well-received
world music album blending his Lebanese roots with a
personal style gained through 25 years of experience as
a singer/songwriter. But he’s always been informed by
the blues—sometimes directly, elsewhere in more subtle
ways.
So it was perhaps inevitable that Nesrallah would one
day pay homage to the blues artists who have influenced
him since his earliest days, including Taj Mahal, Willie
Dixon, and Luther Allison. Based in Blues is an
all-acoustic affair, recorded in his home studio in
downtown Ottawa with a minimum of fuss. Throughout these
eleven self- penned songs, Nesrallah demonstrates that
the blues roots run deep, despite the variety displayed
throughout. Mixing the topical with more traditional
themes like “love’s done me wrong,” Nesrallah’s album
has a fresh, rootsy vibe that makes for an engaging
listen.
“The Wannabe Club” opens up with a Bo Diddley rock
beat carried by one guitar, over which Nesrallah layers
two dobro tracks. He’s always possessed an attractive
tenor, with a relaxed delivery and a strong range; here
he adds the slightest hint of rasp to lend additional
authenticity. “Fear is Everywhere” is a more
straightforward blues which addresses the state of fear
that’s become endemic in the public’s consciousness.
With only a couple of acoustic guitars and hand
percussion, “The Shape I’m In” rocks along insistently.
The majority of the album explores a variety of drop-D
tunings, giving Nesrallah’s basic rhythm track depth and
fullness. He’s no virtuoso, but he has an instinctive
ability to choose the right notes at the right time,
making his slide work on dobro tasteful and understated.
Eschewing overdubbing of any kind, “Jump In” is the most
reverential blues piece on the disc—one acoustic guitar,
one voice—and in its stark simplicity, the most
effective track.
Keith Snider—another local musician who shares a
weekly duo gig with Nesrallah playing fiddle, mandolin,
and banjo—is heard on the haunting minor blues “You Made
a Fool Outta Me.” Like Nesrallah, his accompaniment—in
this case on banjo—is more about creating a feeling than
suggesting any kind of formidable ability, although he’s
a fine player.
While Nesrallah’s laid-back style adapts easily to
everything from folk to world music and more, Based
in Blues may be the most direct and honest record
he’s released to date. For fans of rootsy acoustic
blues, Based in Blues is just what the doctor
ordered.
Visit Victor Nesrallah on the web.
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When not writing feverishly for AAJ,
John Kelman contributes to the Canadian magazines
Muzik Etc. and The Jazz Report. More
about John...
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