CD REVIEWS
THE BLUES IS HERE TO STAY
THE AGE - Lee Howard
The Blues is here to stay - Alex Burns(Newmarket) - *** (3 Stars)
In short: New disc plucks at artist's heartstrings.
IN his quiet way Alex Burns excites the passions of those who like their
music drawn from other times and places.
And in so doing Burns does more than reinforce this album title, providing
fans with another form of the blues.
His is pre-war blues, played on instruments from the era and recalling
players who have inspired the generations since.
Sometimes the effect is quirky, as on the opener, TV Mama, a number
mentioning television, a strictly post-war phenomena.
But this set reflects Burns's live shows, drawing from the blues canon, with
versions of songs by such artists as Robert Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy, Eddie
Boyd, Blind Willie McTell, Brownie McGhee and Champion Jack Dupree.
And, as on the disc before, a collection of Hawaiian tunes, the list of
instruments rivals the list of guests on seemingly every other release these
days.
TWILIGHT BLUES
Gary DeWall - The Blues Times
From one great slide player to another one! Elsewhere I reviewed Dave Hole's latest album, and here we go to another corner of the "roots music envelope" altogether - Hawaiian music. "What?" you say, "hula girls and all that stuff? What's that got to do with the blues?" Well, have a look at your favourite bluesman's resonator guitar - that's a palm tree on the front of it. And have you noticed how many blues players wear Hawaiian shirts? You'd have to ask Alex Burns or Bob Brosman for the details, but the crossover and links are there. Perhaps it's that "the golden era" of Hawaiian music, the days of the National Tri-cone Resonator guitars, was from 1927 to 1937, the same time that Robert Johnson and Co. were doing their thing elsewhere in the USA.
Alex Burns is probably best known outside Melbourne for his duo work with Nick Charles. They released 3 excellent albums of old time acoustic blues and ragtime numbers. He also pursued his love of Hawaiian music, inspired by an early brush with Bob Brosman, with his solo work under the name of Hula Blues. This year Alex and Nick have been working on solo projects, and this has given Alex the opportunity to put out an album of the music he loves, with guest appearances by Bob Brosman, and Melbourne Hawaiian guitarist Jim Jensen, or as Alex calls it "..an album featuring Hawaiian guitars played by my teachers and myself.."
Listen to the playlist: Lady be Good (by George and Ira Gershwin no less!), Singing the Blues, Hula Blues, Blue Hawaiian Moonlight, Stack O'Lee Blues, La Paloma, Maria Elena, Patches, Wonderful One, Twilight Blues, South Sea Moon, Frivolous Sal.
This is a beautiful, gentle, romantic album that passes sweetly, soothingly and all too quickly.
Underpinning all the numbers is Alex's masterful playing of a couple of different National Hawaiian Tri-cone guitars, a Beltona Resophonic ukulele, and a Santa Cruz acoustic guitar. Bob and Jim help out on one track each.
Alex sings on a few tracks, his great atmospheric voice coming straight from the 20's or 30's. Backing vocals are by "the Caledonian Castaways" featuring Steve Boyd.
After a night of your favourite blues, put this CD on your player while you have that last drink or smoke before going to bed. After a hectic day at work, sit down quietly with a (insert favourite drink) and let this CD bring you gently back to earth. This isn't just music - it's medicine.
ANYWHERE, ANYTIME
EG - THE AGE. Terry Reilly 7/11/97
Alex Burns and Nick Charles have an instinctive gift for devising pre-war jazz-inflected rhythms and making them entirely their own. The Melbourne acoustic guitar duo, with two excellent albums to their credit, exploit that noble gift, particularly on "Stay My Hand," a robust and desperate plea to the Lord, co-written with Burns and producer Kerryn Tolhurst (a former member of the Dingoes). An electric version of "Stay," replete with Burns' economical but haunting bottleneck bridge, might have been nice, but Burns and Charles always manage to inject power through the agency of low-voltage, natural electricity. And just one of the enticing features of "Anywhere Anytime" is the clear projection of the lead vocals. Charles's lead on "Old Time Religion Nothing Can Save Me" is a perfect case in point. But were I to plump for the most interesting track that fosters a strong sense of dynamics, Charles's "Everything Reminds Me of You" is the one. Burns's harp is hot, Howard Cairns's bass lopes with a Chicago-blues-type rhythm and the backing vocalists fill it out with soul and dignity.
Mike Cooper Folk/Roots magazine 1997
Hang around in the music pubs in Melbourne and you're bound to find yourself being entertained by Alex Burns and Nick Charles at some point, a hard working duo who feature lots of National Tri-plate steel guitar, ukulele, Resolectric and mandolin. They are joined on this set by the very excellent Kerryn Tolhurst on lap Dobro and National steel, who also produced the whole session, and a rhythm section of acoustic bass and drums on some tracks. An excellent set of acoustic blues, country-soul, Hapa Haole Hawaiian style jazz and pop, with all but two of the thirteen tracks being original compositions. It's a tough scene down there, and it ain't no use sitting in the corner mumbling something about how you forgot to turn your jeans inside out, before you washed them. You just got to get on with it or get out... and these guys do it with flair, anytime, anywhere.
Mark Doherty Rhythms Nov 1997
This Melbourne duo are masters of all things fretted. Mind you, Alex plays some tasty harmonica, and there are five fine examples of his skill here. The lads display their love of, and mastery of a number of acoustic musical styles associated with the 20s and 30s. Their compositions range from Blues to Gospel, from ballads to sea shantys, with a tinge of Hawaiian, and increasingly on this album, something of the flavour of small group 20s Jazz. Unlike 1994's "Cordially Yours" with its long guest list, this CD keeps the focus squarely on Nick & Alex, with subtle support from Howard Cairns on bass, Ken Howden on piano, occasionally Allan Browne on brushes and producer Kerryn Tolhurst on various stringed things.
The title ballad won Nick Charles a recent songwriting award, but its soft focus is atypical. These guys generally exude an air of good time jollity. Only "Lessons" and to some extent "Cool Harmony" find the tempo slacking. The bright sounds of mandolin, banjo, steel and wooden bodied guitars keep things bright and breezy for most of the disc.
For Blues, you can't go past the bottleneck sounds of "Stay My Hand" or "Woman Ain't No Angel". Alex reserves his deepest Blues vocal for Ray Charles' minor key "Losin' Hand", while Willie Dixon's "Violent Love" (one of the worst things ever recorded by Otis Rush) is brilliantly saved, in all its tacky lyrical glory, by a 20s' pop sing a long arrangement that is simply perfect.
Elsewhere you can hear the Cab Calloway goes Country sound of "Shipwrecks and Scurvy Dogs" or the jaunty mandolin-fuelled swing of "T-Bird Shuffle".
With each album, Alex and Nick have established a stronger and more individual musical identity. Yes, they have moved away from a strong Blues base, but the result is a richer, more varied repertoire of original songs that celebrates the heritage of acoustic music and exploits their unique vocal harmonies. Thoroughly enjoyable.
CORDIALLY YOURS
Herald Sun, PETER FAMILARI. Wednesday, April 19,1995
CORDIALLY YOURS is the soft title of an energetic new album by local musicians Alex Burns and Nick Charles.
A pleasing mix of blues, jazz, country, folk and ragtime is played in a way that shows how each genre is related to the other.
Hi-fi stores keen to find a disc to demonstrate those audio imperatives - separation of performers and instruments, imaging, a sense of space and tonal quality - will find much to admire here.
The songs travel first-class on a carriage provided by excellent vocals and the Instrumental dexterity of the pair.
Numbers range from Robert Johnson's "From Four Until Late" and "Drunken Hearted Man" to Brownie McGhee's "Living With The Blues" and self-penned gems "My Other Half" and "Yank Plays Mandolin."
Mandolin was written by Charles and stands as a showcase to the fact that the pair form a major talent brimming with original ideas and musical nous.
The number is blues-based but mixed in are glorious gospel vocals and a lacing of trad jazz, courtesy of strong tuba playing.
Cordially Yours is that rare album where each song informs the listener of a major talent backed by stunningly good musicians.
Timothy Cole (Dex Audio) has cut a disc where the differences in the range of guitars played by Burns and Charles are discernible. For the record, Charles plays a Santa Cruz Model H customised steel-string acoustic guitar, an early '70s steel Dobro Spanish and a Takamine 12~string, as well as mandolin.
Burns is equally adept on a John McGrath Custom Dreadnought, a Santa Cruz Model H, a 1930s National tri-cone Hawaiian and a Beltona Resophonic guitar. He also plays various harmonicas throughout Cordially Yours.
Dave Ray. Bluesletter May 1995
On the heels of their successful 'The Road More Travelled', Alex: Burns and Nick Charles have excelled themselves with their new CD aptly entitled "Cordially Yours." This CD In a natural progression from the first CD. Of the sixteen tracks, 9 are originals plus two traditionally arranged numbers "St Louis Blues" (a solo performance by Nick Charles) and "Railroad Blues" (a number that has been 'apart of their live performance for quite some time). Alex Burns contributes 6 numbers and Nick Charles provides 4 numbers. Again every track displays their vocal prowess and dexterity on a variety of instruments including guitars (acoustic, resophonic, slide, baritone, Hawaiian, 12 string & dobro), ukulele, mandolin, harmonica and bass drum(?). The real strength of the CD is in the use of the guest musicians. These include (the previously anonymous) Ken Howden on piano, Alien Browne (percussion) and Howard Cairns (bass); but the big surprise is the use of the supporting vocalists who include Kelly Auty, Tanya Lee and Kerri Simpson. One listen to "Holy Ghost" and 'I Believe Jesus Is My Friend", and I'm sure you'll understand what I mean. The overall sound of "Cordially Yours" retains that strong Country Blues of 1920-30's similar to "The Road More Travelled", plus more. This time it has taken on a hint of the Gospel and Jazz feel from that period. Of the covers performed, the two Robert Johnson classics "Drunken Hearted. Man" (a solo from Alex), and "From Four Until Late" retain a freshness that many of the modern day acoustic recordings lack. Alex and Nick have extended themselves to encompass all that the record buying public would expect should they discover a never before release recording made during that era. The highlights of this CD are "My Other Half," "Ragtime Boogie", "Yank Plays Mandolin" and "Disappearing Friendship Blues!". The last two numbers feature Nick's sweet vocal, whereas the others have Alex at his powerful best; but every track on the CD is superb. The added beauty of this highly talented duo, is that the sound achieved on "Cordially Yours" is well presented in their live performances. They are among the few artists who can make your feet top along to Country Blues, Ragtime or Hawaiian tunes in the one set and this CD goes a long way to demonstrating it, "Cordially Yours" is a definite must in everyone's CD collection no matter what your music preferences.
All photographs © 1990 - 2004 Ross Mortimer/Rooster unauthorised copying
prohibited