Toronto based bluesman Paul Reddick runs the gamut on his latest CD, ‘Sugar Bird.‘ There are almost  too many mellower numbers like ‘I Will Vanish,’ and ‘Blue Wing,’ a lot of New Orleans zydeco influence and  a couple upbeat horn powered jazz numbers like  ‘Devilment’ and  my favourite, ‘It’s Later Than You Think,’ as well as lots of harmonica based numbers. Reddick, who formed a wicked band in the early 90’s called the Sidemen, really knows how to pick his own sidemen. The cast of players includes producer  Colin Linden, the band’s  Garth Hudson on accordion on ‘Climbing Up The Hill,’ and ‘ Wishing Song,’ plus Bonnie Raitt’s bassist Hutch Hutchinson, crack Nashville drummer  Bryan Owings who plays with Emmylou Harris and Shelby Lynne and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings’ rhythm section (drummer Gary Craig, and  bassist John Dymond.) So these cats know how to play.
 Reddick’s voice is similar to fellow Northern Blues labelmate  Watermelon Slim. He carries beautiful melodies which just make you want to sing along, which helps make the slower numbers really enjoyable.
‘Every Temptation’ has some sweet acoustic guitar playing and some of Reddick’s harp playing.
More soulful harp playing and some slick slide guitar playing ends the CD on another cool upbeat number, “Block of Wood,” featuring Colin Linden. ‘Sugar Bird’ is a pleasant listen with some excellent playing.


Cd: SugarBird
Artist: Paul Reddick
Genre: blues/jazz
Record label: Northern Blues