Rob Lutes & Rob MacDonald - LIVE (2011)
|
 |
|
NEW CD :
The new CD was recorded on a cold, snowy Saturday, January 29, 2011 at the very intimate “Le Red Room” in Glenn Sutton, about an hour and a half from Montreal.
|
|
Rob MacDonald and I started playing together in the fall of 1996 when we did a series of launch shows for a blues compilation CD we were both on.
Since then, we’ve toured Canada, the US and Europe, performing hundreds of shows in theatres, bars, festivals, coffee houses and pretty much everything in between. Rob has also played on all four of my studio releases.
Over the years, many people have told me that Rob and I have a special kind of musical connection on stage, and they’ve encouraged us to release a live album. Well, to all of you, here it is.
The new CD was recorded on a cold, snowy Saturday, January 29, 2011 at the very intimate “Le Red Room” in Glenn Sutton, about an hour and a half from Montreal. Rob and I think it captures some of the magic we’ve experienced on the stage these past 15 years.
Early Reviews of LIVE
Bob Mersereau, CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/nb/mt/east-coast-music/2011/10/music-review-rob-lutes-rob-macdonald---live.html
Graham Clarke, Blues Bytes (US)
http://www.bluenight.com/BluesBytes/wn1111.html
Yves Bernard, Le Devoir (Montreal)
http://m.ledevoir.com/culture/musique/325653/vitrine-du-disque-17-juin-2011
John Valenteyn, Toronto Blues Society
http://torontobluessociety.com/2011/08/johns-blues-picks-6/
Mike Regenstreif, Folk Roots/Folk Branches (Ottawa)
http://frfb.blogspot.com/2011/06/rob-lutes-rob-macdonald-live.html
Paul Kerr, Blabber n’ Smoke
http://paulkerr.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/rob-lutes-and-rob-macdonald-and-little-birdie-live-and-unplugged/
John Davy, Flyin Shoes
http://flyinshoes.ning.com/profiles/blogs/rob-lutes-and-rob-macdonald-live
American Roots UK, 4****
http://www.americanrootsuk.com/played-in-july-2011.html
Real Roots Café
http://www.realrootscafe.com/12_25.html
Mike Sadava, Penguin Eggs
Rob Lutes and Rob Macdonald, Live, Independent
In a past life Rob Lutes wrote renovation books for Home Depot, but now that eye for drywall and kitchen cabinets has shifted to songwriting. That’s a good thing for Canadian roots music, although home handymen might miss his advice.
This live album with frequent collaborator Rob MacDonald on resophonic guitar was recorded on a cold January day in the town of Glenn Sutton near Montreal. It’ll make you wish you were in that little club, but it’s the next best thing to being there.
Delivered with his gravelly voice and percussive guitar fingerpicking, Lutes’ music is rooted in the blues, without staying in the box. The former writer/editor is literate in his songwriting, delivering plenty of zingers like “Unwrap each sour memory and throw away the peel.” Lutes acknowledges his roots with worthy interpretations of a few well-chosen covers, including my favourite Bee Gees song, To Love Somebody.
MacDonald’s playing is a perfect foil for Lutes. It’s always tasteful and restrained, but he shows he can rip off a mean solo in a rousing version of Ain’t Nobody’s Business.
With work like this, Lutes should be getting a warm reception on “this cold Canadian road,” to quote the man himself.
|
|
|
