It doesn't matter if it is deep blues, ragtime, swing, rolling rock, walking blues, electric blues or folk rock that gets you moving and grooving, it can all be found on the latest CD by Canadian party legend, Paul James. In tribute to his long standing fans and friends, Paul James and his band have put together an assembly of requested songs. Now, is this smart marketing or loyalty, in either case, the songs are musically faultless while the production is clear and crisp.

Paul James has carved a niche that has reached the hearts of many music lovers throughout the globe. Even his number one fan, fellow musician Bob Dylan, is paid homage on this new CD.

Without spoiling the surprise of this CD, let me say that it features all of Paul’s super-sonic vocals that express and accentuate the themes of all the songs. If he is singing about pain, you can expect to hear some groans. If he is singing about sex, you can expect to hear some groans. However, it is exactly those entertaining qualities, yells, shouts, groans and whispers, which add to the frenzy and excitement of the songs. Of course, Paul James has a vocal inflection that can’t be compared to anyone either. His voice is as unique a trademark as his guitar style. Picking and sliding his way through a variety of themes ranging from poverty to death, sex to loneliness, women to alienation – Paul’s guitar wildly or gently sparks the mood. 

As I stated, the musicianship is flawless, as it should be after performing together as a solid band for over 25 years. How many bands can state that? Gary Gray has always managed to dazzle on the keys, while Brian Kipping could melt butter on the bass. Hard-hitting action has always backboned this band thanks to Adrian Vecchiola. On this CD, a couple of the jazzier / raggier tunes feature Sarah McElcheran on trumpet and Jim Bish on saxaphones.

Alec Fraser of Toronto, who over the years has developed a sharp ear for the blues and hence knows how to stage its delivery with a sharp punch without loosing the raw energy, did the engineering of this CD. The tracks flow with the intuitive arrangement benched on what the listener would want to hear in the course of a night.

Again, without tossing the baby out with the bathwater, I would like to mention some of the new tracks scripted by Paul James. The others are about sex… that is all I am going to say. You will have to find out more for yourself!

CD Review - Paul James - ‘La Vie en Bleu’

by Joe Curtis
forums_rock@hotmail.com

Paul James is one of the finest blues talents in Canada.  His history in the music business dates back decades – from the age of 14, when he sat in with folk and blues ‘greats’ in the coffeehouse district of Yorkville, in Toronto, Canada.  Paul’s had the pleasure of backing Bo Diddley for almost two decades from the early ‘70s right up to the late ‘90s.  He’s performed on stage recently with Bob Dylan in a few venues in Canada and the U.S.A., including Toronto’s ACC that seats over 20,000 music fans.  ‘Mr. Bojangles’ Dylan has even attended Paul’s gigs.  Likewise, Paul’s attended a rare nightclub concert of Dylan’s recently, at Toronto’s Koolhaus, (where the Rolling Stones performed in 1993 when the venue was known as R.P.M.)

Paul’s most recent CD release – the first in over a decade – ‘La Vie en Bleu’, although not a live recording, has truly captured the energy and feel of a wildly live Paul James Band performance.  In concert Paul wanders through the audience, guitar in hand, and sometimes behind his neck; serenading the ladies with his upbeat brand of blues and R&B.

‘La Vie en Bleu’ begins with a rousing version of Leiber & Stoller’s “The Last Clean Shirt”.  This tune’s got all the inviting energy that’s needed to kick start your day ... or evening as the case may be!  Richard Berry’s ‘60s classic “Louie, Louie” is given new life in Paul’s very able musical hands ... and is hard-drivin’ all the way!  So is Bob Dylan’s rousing and deeply moving “Like a Rolling Stone”, which has been a favorite of mine that Paul performs – ever since the first time I saw him play it with his band Lick ‘n’ Stick at Toronto’s ‘Yonge St. Station’ back in ‘73 or ‘74.

Paul’s version of Chuck Berry’s “Carol” is guaranteed to get the dance floor movin’ ‘n’ groovin’ if nothing else will.  More powerful than a triple of Jack Daniels!!! 

These winners are followed by Paul’s original “Red Hot Mama” .. a medium tempo catchy ditty that’s got a beat that’s ‘born to please’ as the song goes.  Paul’s slide playing on this one seems to sing like it’s alive!  “Take It Easy” follows, with lyrics like “Hurry and worry, kills the man” – a meditative bit of insight by “one who knows.”  Paul’s ‘wa-wa’ is killer in this captivating James original!

One of Paul’s strong points is his mouth-watering slide guitar playing.  In concert he’s made use of anything handy including beer bottles, mic stands etc. to get some of the most enchanting and mesmerizing slide that his National Steel acoustic and red hollow-body electric Guild can deliver.  This writer would wager it’s some of the best slide that could be heard anywhere – including along the banks of the mighty Mississippi – the real birth place of the blues – even though Chicago has claimed that ‘name to fame’ many times... and with some justification.

Nowhere is Paul’s amazingly entertaining (and absolutely ingenious) talent on slide guitar more evident than in Willie Dixon’s classic blues composition, “Little Red Rooster”.  Paul’s invigorating version of this much-loved blues classic, could ‘get zombies out to pick cotton, where there ain’t no cotton to pick!’

Paul’s acoustic virtuosity is heard and enjoyed to its utmost on a very roots-based James original, “Hey Now, Rosie”.  This tune is much in the style and delivery of Hambone Willie Newbern’s “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” – but performed in Paul’s own unique way.  ** (Newbern’s “Rollin’ …” riffs inspired two of Robert Johnson’s immortal blues classics -- “If I had Possession Over Judgement Day”, and “Travelling Riverside Blues”. Both these songs make use of Hambone Willie’s “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” riff.  Muddy Waters uses this same riff on his “Diving Duck Blues”; as does Howling Wolf on his “Meet Me In the Bottom”).  I feel you may agree after hearing Paul’s “Hey Now, Rosie” rendition, that what’s good enough for blues legends like Waters and Wolf, is good enough for present day blues legend James.

Paul follows this early, energized blues offering with Fleecie Moore’s upbeat “Caladonia”, that’s influenced by the version Louis Jordan made into a hit.  There’s some incredibly melodic lead guitar riffs in this tune, courtesy of Paul’s able fingers, as well as some very appetizing rhythm guitar.  Sarah McElcheran’s trumpet and Jim Bish’s sax playing shine through too, in this well-loved classic.

Things slow down a bit, with a relaxed, heartfelt version of ‘Mr. Bojangles’ Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”.  Gary Gray’s inventive piano riffs, as well as Brian Kipping’s melodic bass lines and Adrian Vecchiola’s drums and percussion add beautiful harmony and depth to Paul’s interpretive vocals and haunting harp playing.  The pace picks up considerably with Paul’s quintessential version of Van Morrison’s “G.L.O.R.I.A.”

Paul’s rendition of Dylan’s “Highway 61" definitely ranks right up there with versions I’ve heard from blues guitar icons like Johnny Winter and Joe Walsh.  Vecchiola’s fetching talent on the skins, along with Kipping’s thumpin’ ‘n’ pumpin’ bass lines and Gray’s beautiful piano playing, really gets this one going full blast!  So do Paul’s incredible vocals and mesmerizing slide guitar talent.  I know this isn’t a live version, but the energy and clarity it possesses could definitely fool many into thinking it is!

Paul plays a captivating harp intro to the Rolling Stones’ classic “Sweet Virginia”.  This country/blues/rock ditty features Gray’s dancing fingers tinkling the ivories, along with Kipping’s rousing bass lines and Vecchiola’s engrossing drumming – all adding much to Paul’s strong vocals and guitar playing.  This song is aptly followed by Paul’s original “Gotta Gimme Some Lovin’”; featuring more of Paul’s superb slide guitar playing – in fact a beautiful slide-‘fest’ of Paul’s outstanding talent on the six-string! It also features the fine talents of Alec Fraser on bass and background vocals. :(In addition to playing bass on this track, Fraser also engineered this CD masterpiece at his Juno/Maple Blues Award-winning Liquid Studio in Toronto).

The finale to this out-of-this-world entertaining Paul James CD, ‘La Vie en Bleu’ is the Stones’ consistently satisfying, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”.  This writer has seen the Stones perform this tune on many occasions – the most recent being only 20 people from the stage at Sarstock in Toronto July 30, 2003, along with 490,000 other Stones/music fans   Even with having all this live Stones exposure, I have to honestly admit that Paul’s version of “Satisfaction” is without a doubt just as good in every way as the version the Stones perform themselves – only different!  But, not that ‘different’ – just unique to the true ‘star’ quality James brings forth from his soul and heart into this and every tune on this 15-song/hour-long encapsulation of the essence of a true blues/R&B/rock ‘n’ roll entertainer that Paul James definitely is!

The Paul James Band has succeeded in every way in coming up with the best rock ‘n’ roll/R&B/blues to entertain us with in ‘La Vie en Bleu’.  This very fine and worthwhile CD is a true masterpiece of musical entertainment at its very best – and as such, is a worthy and necessary addition to any music lover’s collection.  I sincerely give it my highest recommendation!!!  This is most definitely a ‘five-star’ CD if I’ve ever heard one!  It’s one of this writer’s favorite CD’s to listen to ... I hope you make it yours, too!

Paul James' guitar licks are so blistering even Bob Dylan is a fan.

The crowd-pleasing blues and rockabilly guitarist is no slouch as a storyteller of the blues, the roots of rock 'n' roll and how he came to meet his hero either. It was 1986 at a Scarborough club called the Nag's Head North. Still playing his wireless guitar and clad in a signature ruffled purple tuxedo shirt, James wandered over to the bar and ordered a drink. 

"It's a little shtick I have," He explains. "I was playing with one hand and drinking a beer with the other hand. This guy steps in front of me, His face is a foot in front of me.
It's Bob Dylan." 

James whispered that he wouldn't tell anyone Dylan was there. the grizzled folk icon asked to join him on stage. "He says introduce me as a hitch-hiker from Vancouver," James said. "We
played a two-hour set. After that, we went back to my place and sat on the floor and played the guitar until 10 in the morning. Dylan kept calling for Toronto gigs and a few years ago invited James up on stage in Buffalo to play Highway 61 and Like a Rolling Stone in front
of a massive stadium crowd. So it's no surprise that those tunes turn up on the Paul James Band's new disc, La Vie en Blue. After releasing discs of acoustic blues and original tunes, it's a collection of the Juno and Toronto Blues Awards winning guitarist's most requested tunes. It's masterful guitar turned to a rock and roll station rooted in the blues, long before the bloated stadium rock of the 1970s and the glossily overproduced offerings on the dial now. There's a trio of Dylan songs - listen for It's All Over Now Baby Blue, too - a version of Louie Louie with intelligible lyrics and some Stones, including Sweet Virginia and Satisfaction. Then throw in Chuck Berry's Carol and Willie Dixon's Red Rooster and four original tunes for good measure. Best of all is Hey Now Rosie, a new James composition critics point to for cooking along nicely to a Fred McDowell/R.L. Burnside riff. 

"Sometimes you have to go back and get in touch with all the roots," he said. That's where I've been - that early rock 'n' roll stuff. I try to make it work for the 2000s. 

"The early days of the Rolling Stones and the Chicago Blues - I always thought that was the best stuff.

Everything built up to that, that was the high point. After that, everything went down.

" The rock gods of the 1960's listened to the blues - Paul McCartney famously on American short-wave radio - then played fast and sweaty rock on the club scene. After 35 years as a
professional musician - "I'm sort of the age of Stevie Ray Vaughn if he was alive" - James says he's stayed true to his first love. "A lot of people follow the trends," he said. "I pretty much stayed where I am and tried to get better at it. I would say I do what I do well.
When I get up to play, I have a really good time. "It has nothing to do with pyrotechnics - it's the performing and bringing it right down to the basics of early rock 'n' roll. There's' magic to that music. If it wasn't for that music we wouldn't know who the Beatles or the Rolling Stones or Dylan are."

Reviewed by: Megan Gillis from 'The Recorder and Times'

Imagine sitting in a New York nightclub back in 1986, watching a lively, young musician perform classic rock 'n' roll while adding classic moves to the music.

The musician is Paul James, who enjoys entertaining the crowd while playing music he loves.

Bob Dylan was watching and asked to join James on stage.

"I'm an entertainer. It comes from working with Bo Diddley when I was young. So I don't stand still on stage," said James, who likes to play guitar behind his back or do the duck walk. "Sometimes I walk over to the bar while playing, have a drink with one hand while playing with the other, and, in this instance, Bob Dylan approached me. We agreed to get him on stage to play."

That night, Dylan didn't want to play his own songs and instead opted to perform James'.

They played late into the night, moving to James' house once the club closed to pass the guitar around until next morning.

After that, Dylan would frequently stop by James' shows and even asked him to open for him.

"I've always maintained independence so it helped me along," explained James.

He'll be in Burlington Nov. 25 at the Slye Fox for the CD release party of his latest album, La Vie en Bleu.

This new CD has 11 frequently-requested cover songs he has played over the past 25 years while four songs are James' own.

James decided years ago to record independently after his first experience went sour.

His first band, Lick 'n' Stick, was signed with CBS Records, before it became Sony Records.

"I wasn't happy with what was being recorded," he recalled. "I had no control. They wanted disco, so were adding female vocals and these disco beats, while I was early rock 'n' roll style. I couldn't do the disco thing anymore and the band broke up."

He organized the Paul James Band, releasing single after single. He then played a show with Bo Diddley, who asked James to back him on a film soundtrack.

"That was a shot in the arm for me," said James, who was influenced by Diddley, Chuck Berry, and later, Bruce Springsteen. "I became known for backup blues and was hired by an American band called Mink De Ville."

James had a taste of fame touring Europe with Mink De Ville, which was huge there, and partying with the Rolling Stones.

Once he returned to Canada he decided to put all his singles together, and those he wrote while on the road, and recorded an album, originally called Almost Crazy in 1984, and re-released in 1999 as Lazy, Crazy Blues.

He also released Acoustic Blues, originally in 1988 but re-released in 1999. The Toronto resident won a Juno in 1991 for Best Roots/Traditional recording.

La Vie en Bleu (2003) was recorded for the fans, said James.

"People frequently want me to play these cover songs. I figured I'd give them what they want," he said. "For the length of time I've been in this business (more than 25 years), my recorded output is fairly low. I'm going to make up for lost time and start recording now."

James will always stick with the melodies of classic rock and the roots of blues when it comes to performing and recording.

"Music always comes back to classic rock," he said. "Blues is the root -- blues had a baby and it was rock 'n' roll. But to me, classic rock is the best."

James said he'll put on a show here that will defy his age.

"I'm going to hit my audience between the eyes," he said. "I think this is my best album to date and I feel good. I still have as much energy as I did when I was 22 and I still love what I do."

Paul James
Valentines Day Party
Silver Dollar Room
Toronto ON
2009-02-14

krewechief's Live Music Blog

For two nights last fall Paul James was a guest guitarist on Bob Dylan's NeverEnding Tour. He's been onstage with Bob before...usually for a one-song appearance on a few occasions, though he did do 4 songs in Buffalo in 1999. This time he replaced a guitarist from Dylan's Cowboy Band for 5 songs. Those were the 10 most enjoyable songs I've heard from Bob's stage since Freddy Koella left the tour in 2004. He absolutely lit a spark under the band.

Too bad that experiment ended.

On the upside, James graces the stage at the Silver Dollar Room on a regular basis. This past weekend he held a party for all the ladies and my better-half and I were treated to an enjoyable evening of blues and rock.

He's a Canadian blues icon...which is not unlike being the best hockey player in Argentina...it doesn't get you a lot of press. He's backed the likes of Willie DeVille and Bo Diddley, garnered the respect of John Hammond and Bob Dylan, so ain't no one here going to question his credentials.

Had a moment to chat with him before the show and during the break in sets. He seemed genuinely humbled by my observations of his effect on Dylan's band. Extra interested in the Freddy Koella note as he asked if I knew what he was up to these days. Seems he worked with him at Montreaux in 1992. Small blue world, I guess.

James brings a lot of energy to the stage. He has a preferred move of playing the guitar behind his head while doing a dervish across the stage. Had he done this just once during the fall Dylan stand he'd be a legend in that online community.

During a 9 minute version of Nadine he ventured into the crowd, made his way to the bar, drank a beer while playing with one hand and closed with a bottle-neck slide exhibition. (It was while performing this stunt at the Nag's Head Tavern in 1986 that he found himself beside Bob Dylan...who joined him onstage. ) A crowd pleaser. Can't be a much higher accolade for a musician.