Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne
Blues From Chicago to Paris: A Tribute to Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon
Stony Plain Records
A Remarkable Album With as much Boogie and Woogie as You Could Ever Imagine.
Probably dating back to my pre-teens I’ve always had eclectic musical tastes; and an enquiring mind, which is why I started the website; as the magazine and website I’d previously wrote for were quite restrictive in what I could review.
If I’d stayed there I’d never have discovered the sheer delight of Canadian Boogie-Woogie and all around Blues Maestro Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne.
Here Wayne has taken a leap back in time to pay homage to two of his favourite musicians; Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon; who may well be household names; but are still generally forgotten in the 21st Century; so this is something of a voyage of discovery for youngsters like you and me.
Oh man! Right from the opening bars of Rocking and Rolling The House you know two things; A) Wayne and colleagues are having a blast; and B) This album is going to be a doozy.
There really is something really special in Kenny’s imaginative piano playing; he sounds like he’s playing at 100 mph yet you can still here every single note in all their singular glory.
Then of course there’s his husky voice which is perfect for songs like these; slightly sleazy and always memorable.
While I thought I knew the work of Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon Wayne appears to have found a bunch of songs (17 to be precise) from their catalogue that covered the 50’s and early 60’s that I don’t recognise; but have instantly fallen in love with.
I mean; what’s not to like with The African Hunch, Stewball or The Way She Loves a Man? All different; but perfectly matched too.
There’s a delicate balance between uptempo tracks and slower more introspective ones; and while the former are very easy on the ear and guaranteed to get your toes tapping; Wayne manages to add his very own magic to the slow and sensitive Messin’ With The Blues, Got You On My Mind and the stunning Pigalle Love.
Personally I’d pay good money and be prepared to travel many miles to hear Kenny Wayne perform this album in its entirety in either a magnificent Concert Hall or sleazy Jazz Club; and can only imagine the atmosphere that he’d create playing the magnificent Reno Blues or especially the salacious After a While in either setting.
Selecting a Favourite Track was actually a bit easier than I’d first anticipated because three entirely different songs have haunted me for days now; the ‘talking Blues’ of I Got a Razor sounds like a ‘great lost Tom Waits’ song; then there’s the feisty Somebody Tell That Woman features featuring some really steamy piano playing and even steamier singing Wayne and crew harmonize like the Choir from Hades!
The other; I Ain’t Gonna Be Your Monkey Man; isn’t as dark as the title may suggest in 2022; but it’s certainly dark enough as Wayne sings about a one sided love affair over a very jaunty Boogie-Woogie melody and hook.
As I implied at the beginning; I’m not really sure where this remarkable album fits in; as it’s certainly got ‘the Blues,’ but there’s a timeless Jazz groove to each and every song too; plus as much Boogie and Woogie as you could ever imagine ….. maybe this is actually a Roots Album?
There’s certainly more roots here than on the average Blues Album that will make the Grammy Awards.
Released March 5th 2022
https://kennybluesboss.com/
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https://stonyplain.labelstore.ca/releases/772532144322-blues-from-chicago-to-paris-digital-mp3.html
The Rocking Magpie 