Colin James opens this album
with a lively and groovy rendition of “One More Mile,” a Muddy Waters tune. The
horns and harmonica together sound so damn good, and that sound contributes a
large part to my enjoyment of this track. It becomes a good jam, with plenty of
nice work on guitar and keys. Colin James follows that with another Muddy
Waters song, “Still A Fool.” This one begins with vocals and guitar,
establishing a cool style. Then the band kicks in, and the song takes on a
heavy blues rock vibe. “Dig Myself A Hole” has more of fun vibe from the start,
with a strong rhythm and some good work on horns. Yet, the lyrics provide a
warning about the dire state of the world. This song was written by Arthur “Big
Boy” Crudup, and included on his 1962 LP, Mean
Ole Frisco. Though the song is several decades old, it is so fitting for
these days when things have gone so wrong. Could they get even worse? It’s
certainly possible, the longer Donald Trump and his fellow fascists are allowed
to remain in power. Someone needs to pay a visit to those demented racists, put
an end to this horror show. “Well, the
whole world’s in an uproar/People all sing the same song/If we don’t stop
messing up, you know we sure won’t be here long/I’m going to dig myself a hole,
move my baby down in the ground/And when I come up, there ain’t gonna be no one
around.”
“I Will Remain” is one of the album’s
original songs written by Colin James. It is a somewhat mellow blues tune,
featuring some good work on guitar. It also offers some comfort, something we
all need these days. “When all seems lost
and you don’t know where to turn/And all the white lines on the highway
blur/Just call my name and let me ease the pain/I will remain.” I love
those gospel backing vocals. That’s followed by another original tune, “40
Light Years,” this one written by Colin James, Tom Wilson and Jesse O’Brien.
This one has something of a playful feel, and is kind of catchy. “I’d like to get to know you/But you’re forty
light years away.” It features more strong work on harmonica. “Ooh Baby Hold
Me” is another fun one, a totally catchy Howlin’ Wolf tune featuring a
delightful jam. Then “Black Night” gets off to a great start on keys. This is a
mellower, late-night blues number about regretting that another day has passed
in loneliness. “Nobody cares about me/I ain’t
even got a friend/Baby’s gone and left me/When will my troubles end?/Black
night is falling/Gee, how I hate to be alone.” It features a really nice
vocal performance, as well as some good work on guitar. “Black Night” was
written by Jessie Mae Robinson, and was a hit for Charles Brown in the early
1950s.
“Soul Of A Man” opens with a
bit of harmonica, then establishes a delicious groove. This is a seriously good
rendition of the classic Blind Willie Johnson song, certainly one of the disc’s
highlights. I like the use of backing vocals here. This track ends as it began,
with harmonica. That’s followed by “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” a Blind
Lemon Jefferson song that is sometimes listed as “One Kind Favor.” This one has
been covered by a lot of artists over the years, including Bob Dylan, B.B.
King, Canned Heat and the Grateful Dead. This rendition by Colin James opens
with some good work on guitar, and has a great, dark acoustic feel. We then go
back to an electric blues sound for a cool cover of Little Willie John’s “I
Need Your Love So Bad,” featuring nice stuff on keys. Then Colin James’
rendition of “Tears Came Rolling Down” has a harder blues sound. The album
began with Muddy Waters’ “One More Mile,” and it concludes with a different
version of that same song. This second version is a cool, stripped down
acoustic rendition, with good work on guitar and some wonderful backing vocals.
CD Track List
- One More Mile
- Still A Fool
- Dig Myself A Hole
- I Will Remain
- 40 Light Years
- Ooh Baby Hold Me
- Black Night
- Soul Of A Man
- See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
- I Need Your Love So Bad
- Tears Came Rolling Down
- One More Mile (Acoustic)
Miles To Go was released on September 21, 2018 on True North
Records.
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