If you missed Doc MacLean and Big Dave McLean’s super show of gritty, down home, delta blues at the Slice, Oct. 24, 2009, then their new CD “Big Road Blues” is an almost note for note, word for word replication of their tour together.
The CD, recorded in Calgary in October 2007 not only includes most of their set, but almost all of the stories and introductions.
Because both bluesmen know their history, the set includes interpretations of legends like Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon and Son House as well as several of their originals.
Doc MacLean’s song Jimmy Lee Jackson’s Blues anf the introductory story is especially moving as it puts the listener right in the middle of a civil rights protest spurred by a murder in Alabama some 50 years ago. But what makes this CD such an entertaining listen is hearing how the two masters play off each other. Doc MacLean adds washboard and guitar to Big Dave’s songs, while McLean returns the favour by playing harmonica, guitar and back up vocals.
Doc MacLean’s deep southern drawl is especially unforgettable especially when he adds his unique wavering, almost yodeling warble.
As expected, the playing is impeccable throughout with Big Dave McLean employing some tasteful slide guitar being on “You Got To Move,” with Doc MacLean adding some distinctive background vocals. MacLean ’s voice is almost hypnotic even on his long introductions like on “Johnson Terraplane.”
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
CD : Big Road Blues
Artists: Big Dave McLean and Doc MacLean
genre: blues