Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Willie McBlind: Bad Thing

370

Willie McBlind: Bad Thing

By

View read count
Willie McBlind: Bad Thing
Many elements comprise the spirit of the authentic blues, from the weary, lonesome and forlorn lyrics and voices to the bent, plaintive notes coaxed from weather-beaten, jury-rigged instruments. It's that off-kilter, almost microtonal aspect of true blues tonality that is too often overlooked by cover artists and wanna-bes who reduce the music to three chords and the truth. Guitarist Jon Catler and the other members of Willie McBlind work near-miracles in bringing that raw aspect of the blues sound to the forefront.

In this case, Catler's instrument isn't a well-worn pawn-shop acoustic guitar, but rather a highly specialized tool that could come off as a cheap gimmick—or sound like crap—in the wrong hands. Catler plays a 64-note Just Intonation guitar, using close frets and fine tuning to wedge 64 separate tones into the space of an octave normally occupied by the 12 tones of the Western scale. The authenticity of Catler's vision and mission are made clear from the first few bars of "13 O'Clock Blues," where a slightly odd vibe of something amiss quickly evolves into serious blues power. This ain't just some white guy with a new toy; Catler knows his stuff and conveys it with deep energy and conviction. His fretless guitar work is equally convincing.

It helps, too, that Catler has a rough, saw-edged voice that complements both his playing and the smoother tones of band mate Babe Borden. Bassist Neville L'Green and drummer Lorne Watson provide tight backup for the two lead voices, in typically rollicking blues-band style. They give the impression of a band that has been working the road for years. Borden's finest achievement is her ability to match Catler's microtones without flaw or hesitation. She is fully her own woman, never trying to emulate Etta James, Koko Taylor or anyone else.

Most of the compositions are Catler's originals, with a few expected covers thrown in. Of the new tunes, "13 O'Clock Blues," "Blood Moon," and the hellacious title track are the highest points, but there's no real filler to be found here. Blind Willie Johnson's "Nobody's Fault But Mine," somewhat overdone by everyone from Led Zeppelin to Christian rockers The 77s, manages to sound fresh again in Willie McBlind's collective hands. Ditto Robert Johnson's classic "Stones in my Passway" and Willie Dixon's lesser-known "It Don't Make Sense," where Catler and Borden again pull off the almost ancient spirit of the blues.

Of all the contemporary "white-guy" blues bands making the circuit today, of all the guitar icons that have gearheads and shredders clamoring for more, Jon Catler and Willie McBlind represent a major step forward in the evolution of American blues. Yet they do so without losing any of the music's heart, which is perhaps the best achievement of all.

Track Listing

13 O'Clock Blues; Bad Thing; Primo; Blood Moon; Nobody's Fault But Mine; Storms; Stones in my Passway; It Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace); One Lucky Man.

Personnel

Jon Catler: 64-tone Just Intonation and fretless guitars, voice; Babe Borden: voice; Neville L'Green: bass; Lorne Watson: drums, percussion; Hugh Pool: vocals (9).

Album information

Title: Bad Thing | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: FreeNote Music

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.