MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: GRAHAM NICHOLAS - DIAL TONES AND PRETTY NOTES

Thanks to a little bit of serendipity, I happened to be in Toronto for a brief trip a couple of weeks ago, and caught Graham Nicholas at his weekly residency at the Cameron House. It just so happens he's gearing up for a big East Coast trip with another favourite, Jerry Leger, so I'll be able to see more of him soon. I liked what I saw that night, and what I'm hearing on his latest, Dial Tones and Pretty Notes.

Named one of Toronto's Musicians To Watch In 2018 by Now Magazine, Nicholas has developed a twangy sound that has some straight country, some alt-country, and plenty of sizzle when needed. There's a tremendous amount of emotion flowing through his songs, with his characters hurt by love and struggling to keep afloat, such as Keeping My Soul Alive, with its sad mandolin, and it's chorus "Cause my heart is blind to the things you do/Yeah I lost your love a thousand times, and it changes you." Sometimes it's old wounds that still hurt, as an old lover comes back to a dying town, reviving memories in Ghost Town: "After all this time it's kinda hard to say/Well was it me or you or this place that changed." There are just as many songs shot through with keyboards and a stronger beat that give the album a solid mix of moods, and a bit of hope that love will win in the end.

Nicholas and Leger bring their double act to a bunch of Maritime venues in May, starting May 11 in Bass River, N.S. at the Community Hall. May 12 they are in Berwick, N.S. at the Union Street Cafe, then the 13th it's the Carleton in Halifax. May 14 sees them at Paddy's Pub in Wolfville, N.S., and on the 15th they cross the province to Antigonish and the Townhouse Brewpub. Then it's on to New Brunswick for a May 16 show at Plan B in Moncton, and then an early festival gig at Paddlefest in St. Andrews on the 17th. May 18 sees the duo at the Trailside in Mount Stewart, P.E.I., the 19th is reserved for Pepper's Pub in Saint John, N.B., and then the whole big jaunt in the East wraps at the beloved Dunk in Breadalbane, P.E.I. on May 20.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: ALLY VENABLE BAND - PUPPET SHOW

I'm so out of touch with teenagers and whatever they are into right now, whether it's Nicki Minaj or Instagram or video games, do they still play video games? I seriously couldn't have a conversation with one of them. Well wait, there's one anyway, this East Texas talent, all of 19, leading her own band, and with two albums to her name. Lo and behold, she's actually beholding to the blues, a lead guitar shredder with a serious interest in Texas electric, and a growing fan base, including lots of impressed pros. Guesting here are guitar fiend Gary Hoey, a certified surf rock champ, and Texas harmonica favourite Steve Krase, who also co-produces.

While she's obviously taking the guitar thing seriously, and handles herself very well alongside the guest aces here, Venable is looking toward the long term too. She wrote eight of the 10 cuts here, moving toward her own voice in the blues world. And it's a pretty loud one; there's not a ballad or acoustic track here, it's all flat-out tough stuff, even pushing into some old-school blues-rock. I like that, I might even follow her on Instagram.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: ANGEL FORREST - ELECTRIC LOVE

The gritty Quebec blues singer and reigning Maple Blues winner for Female Vocalist of the Year for the past five years sums up her 30-year career with this sprawling two-disc live album. Recorded at one show in St.-Hyacinthe, QC last October, Forrest and her crack band show they don't need any after-the-fact sweetening or choosing the best tracks from several dates, they put on a great night when the pressure's on and tape is rolling.

With her major vocal abilities, Forrest has become known for her own energetic material, and her masterful versions of the classics. Lots of people do well-known covers, but hardly any make them their own, and that's what she's able to do time and again, in a variety of styles. Of course, there's her Janis Joplin choices, a specialty since her days doing her tribute show, which first caught the public's attention. Here she brings back Piece Of My Heart and Me And Bobby McGee, and I wouldn't want to have to choose between her versions and Joplin's. But just as successful are her interpretations of Robert Johnson's Walkin' Blues with modern power, and a House Of The Rising Son that wails. The thing is though, she makes every song sound like a classic with her intense takes. Her own Crucify, from 2016's Angel's 11 album, is a heart-breaker, with tremendous emotion. All through the show, lead guitar player Ricky Paquette is a revelation, and would probably be raved about more if he wasn't next to that vocal powerhouse. This is a group on fire, on a special night, but I get the feeling they do that every night.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE STEPHEN STANLEY BAND PRESENTS JIMMY & THE MOON

1990's faves The Lowest Of The Low have turned out to be the gift that keeps on giving. Not only does the Toronto group have its own fine legacy, including the now-classic Shakespeare My Butt album, there was a fine new album last year, Do The Right Now, and the continued solo excellence of Ron Hawkins' career. Now, add founding member Stephen Stanley to that list. He left TLOTL in 2013 for good, and formed this band a couple of years later. Now he unveils a terrific set of songs that take us right back to that level of excellence we came to know and love back in '91.

Since I haven't heard him in awhile, what leaps to mind is how much John K. Samson and The Weakerthans were influenced by Stanley, in his vocal style, his delivery and his most literary way with lyrics. Like Samson, Stanley packs tremendous visuals and story-telling into his songs, placing us in the middle of lives of interesting characters. Stanley puts us right downtown in Toronto for several of his songs, including Under The Mynah Bird, the coffee house in Yorkville Village, circa 1966 with Neil Young and Rick James playing. The title cut, set on Gerrard St., is about the ridiculous amount of construction that rips apart the history and culture of much of old Toronto, as seen by one 60-year resident, bemoaning the loss of his view of the moon to another dull condo complex or office building. Geez, don't get me started on that topic. Stanley's speaking for lots of people there.

The band, augmented by producer Hugh Christopher Brown (Bourbon Tabernacle Choir), some fine backing singers and guest sharpshooters such as Jane Scarpantoni on cello, have that great indie rock energy that to my ears has never gone out of style, with tracks such as Talkin' Bout It and Birthday Clown filled with power and joy. The title cut and The Troubadour's Song have length and breadth, epics worthy of their stories. A most welcome return for Stanley.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: DENNIS ELLSWORTH - THINGS CHANGE

After a string of much-appreciated, alt-country songwriter albums, P.E.I.'s Ellsworth has embraced his power pop side, and plugged in. Teaming up with producer Joel Plaskett at his Dartmouth studio New Scotland Yard, they formed a little East Coast all-star unit, along with Emergency drummer Dave Marsh and The Super Friendz' Charles Austin on bass. Those guys are all soaked in melodic '90's guitar pop, and it just so happened Ellsworth had written a bunch of tunes in exactly that direction.

Plaskett has so many ideas, all great, that he can sometimes overwhelm artists he's producing, standing out a little too much in the material. Ellsworth though has enough experience and confidence to step forward on each track, and it's his voice that dominates. He has great pipes, and Plaskett wraps a bit of echo around them, making sure the singer is always out front. The result is an album that's cohesive, and the strong players involved really do sound like a band. Caught In The Waves is a cool, mellow production that features a dreamy chorus, Austin's distinctive bass line and sweet vocals and backups. Couldn't Care Less has crunchy chords and She's Never Wrong has an early '60's bounce.

But Ellsworth has always been a thoughtful writer, so there are just as many reflective songs here, ones that start acoustic but build up with the band into catchy choruses. Like the changes he made in his sound, Ellsworth's words show he's always searching for deeper meaning, pushing himself. It's always better when things change.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: UB40 - A REAL LABOUR OF LOVE

You have to have a lawyer with you to listen to the new album by UB40, or rather, UB40 Featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey as they are officially known in North America. That's because these three original members of the group all quit in disgust at various times, the group being in financial disarray and personal tumult. Heck, Ali Campbell said a whole bunch of very angry things about his brother Duncan taking his place and ruining his songs. Anyway, this trio has won the legal battle and the battle for listener's hearts as well, since they have the original two lead singers in their ranks.


They're calling this A Real Labour Of Love, because Labour Of Love 5 would seem like flogging a dead horse, no? Actually Labour Of Love 3 and 4 were pretty much doing that, but here there is a significant difference. For the most part, this is a jump to '80's reggae, or the dancehall days. Most of the tracks here were dancehall hits in at least Jamaica, if not wider. There are some exceptions, such as Ebony Eyes, which was a Stylistics cut before it was reggaefied, and here the group keeps that easy, sweet soul style with just a slight added beat. Then there's Stevie Wonder's '60's cut A Place In The Sun, which makes quite a nice transition to reggae, and Ali Campbell once again proves his worth with a great vocal.

The bulk though come with that trance-inducing dancehall bass line, drum machines and several shots of the infamous auto-tuning software. Now, I barely know my Eek-A-Mouse from my Beenie Man, but I can tell the group is playing it somewhat safe with their choices here, and smoothing things out for the broader audience, even on certified classics of the genre such as Barrington Levy's Here I Come and Wayne Smith's Under Me Sleng Teng, as rendered by Astro. Of course, that's what the Labour Of Love series has always been, making reggae more commercial for the broader audience. It's watered-down a bit, yes, but in the end in probably helps the original artists and the whole genre.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: RORY GALLAGHER - BBC SESSIONS

Back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, so did white British electric blues guitar heroes. There was the A-list of Clapton, Beck and Page, and then there several more in the next tier, including Alvin Lee of Ten Years After, Steve Marriot of Humble Pie, and Ireland's Gallagher. Of course, if you were a fan, you'd swear your guy was the best. I find it interesting now that so much attention went to the guitar player, it's quite out of fashion these days. But anyway, a small but vocal portion of rock/blues fans thought Gallagher was the best of them all.

Gallagher's North American heyday was at the end of the '60's with his power trio Taste, and then into the early '70's as a solo act, most famously with the live Irish Tour '74 album. He never quite broke through into superstar status, but he sold a ton of albums, especially his live ones, and was best known for his exciting stage shows. He also was quite a big deal across continental Europe into the '80's, before his death from liver damage in '95. During his time, he did dozens of different TV and radio broadcasts, always a favourite for those media, and especially on the BBC. This double-disc set was compiled by his brother and long-time keeper of the flame, Donal.

Chosen from several hours of available material, this set includes one disc of live concert tracks, and another of studio recordings done of the Beeb. The live stuff is mostly from the late '70's, except for one 1973 cut, while the studio work was done from 1971-74, with a side trip to the '80's for a number. Unsurprisingly, the live cuts are full of fireworks, especially when Gallagher steps away from his own material to riff on some classic blues. The traditional number Roberta is a great example of his speed and energy. Other cuts feature his passionate vocals, often overlooked, and he certainly was one of the better singers among the guitar heroes. He was like a rawer Clapton, without the softness but with lots of melody. Meantime he could blaze away between vocal lines, and totally command the song, the same way Pete Townsend could dominate. I Take What I Want here matches, I feel, the sheer mastery of Hendrix. This is a decent place to start with Gallagher, and a real treat for this old fans.