Last week the annual Maple Blues Awards were handed out, trophies for the usual categories, such as best recordings, best singers, best players, etc. But the award that always captures my attention is one that is unique to Maple Blues. It's the Cobalt Award, which goes to the best contemporary blues composition. In other words, the person who has written the best new blues song.
The award was set up by a fine writer himself, Paul Reddick. His intention was to "encourage and support blues music by promoting the creation of
new songs that both draw on the rich traditions of the genre and manage
to strike a fresh chord with contemporary audiences." That's key, because blues is a classic form, and needs to be kept alive by advancing, not relying on cliches.
This year's award went to a New Brunswicker, Rich Junco, for his song "Cope." It can be found on his new release, One Way Track, released in December. Fresh it is. There are no Robert Johnson covers, none of the usual 12 bar classics, no Stevie Ray salute. Instead, Junco is a songwriter first, with thoughtful lyrics, no throw-away lines repeating all the blues tropes. You can stop any song and grab a cool couplet, such as "Everafter"'s gem, "You took the harness from the plow/and hitched it to a sacred cow."
The production is simple but rich, made in Memramcook N.B. by Mike Trask, a solid band sitting close over four days, recording on analog tape. The award-winning "Cope" is the richest track for sure, with a Band groove, with tight horn parts from Seb Michaud, Carter Chaplin playing a sharp, sweet lead, and Christien Belliveau supplying meaty, tight drums. Junco himself has one of those relaxed voices, full of character, sounding somewhere between Leon Redbone and Dutch Mason. As befits the Cobalt Award-winner, Junco has carved out a place by putting his own stamp on the blues.
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