Review: Colin James 'Open Road'

Colin James

By Mike O’Cull

Award-winning Canadian blues guitarist and bandleader Colin James achieves another high-water mark on his freshly-pressed new album Open Road. The set comes out November 5th, 2021 on Stony Plain Records and is the 20th release of James’ accomplished career. James co-produced Open Road with his longtime creative partner Dave Meszaros and tracked with a talented assortment of players recruited from the live and studio bands he has worked with over the years. The resulting record was mixed at Abbey Road Studios in London and veers into Americana/roots/blues territory, which is a bit of a departure from James’ last few efforts. It features new original songs written with familiar collaborators like Colin Linden, Craig Northey, and Tom Wilson as well as covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Albert King, Tony Joe White, and Otis Rush. Taken as a whole, it feels like a long-lost old friend who’s come back to town.

Colin James is an honest-to-gosh Canadian guitar hero and musical legend. He’s been in the game for more than 30 years and has 20 studio albums, 7 Juno Awards, 27 Maple Blues Awards, and multi-platinum record sales to his credit. He’s worked with a boatload of major artists including Bonnie Raitt, Albert Collins, Pops Staples, Robert Cray, Albert King, Keith Richards, Lenny Kravitz, ZZ Top, Mavis Staples, Luther Allison, Roomful of Blues, Bobby King and Terry Evans, John Hammond Jr, The Chieftains, Carlos Santana, Little Feat, Johnny Hallyday, Jeff Healey, and Buddy Guy. He’s also seen his original songs cut by the likes of Maria Muldaur, Johnny Hallyday and Lucinda Williams and is responsible for kicking off the swing revival in Canada with his amazingly popular Little Big Band. James is a true pro who has done it all and matured into a breathtaking performer with an unmistakable presence.

Tony Joe White’s “As The Crow Flies” kicks things off with a pumping blues/rock groove with a hard push to it. James’ vocal and guitar lines weave in and out of each other and he uses open space to create atmosphere like a boss. His guitar tone is throaty, unique, and sounds slightly out-of-phase, which makes it delicious. It sounds cliche but his sound really will grab your attention. It’s a signature element that separates Colin from all the other guitar slingers out there and adds the perfect enhancement to his already-articulate soloing.

“Can’t You See What You’re Doing To Me” by Albert King is tight, tough, and lowdown. James puts the vocal down with a purpose and again uses an ultra-expressive tone to get his ripping guitar lines across. His title track “Open Road” is a hypnotic, mid-tempo Americana cut that will make you want to get yourself out on the highway. It’s message is to take life as it comes, especially after our shared pandemic experience, and that we never know what story each new day is going to tell us. James’ songwriting seems to be aimed at uplifting his fans and he uses his blues to give us all a bold sense of hopefulness that our lives will come back together again.

“Raging River” is a haunting, existential, swamp ballad that will crawl into your soul in a beautifully unsettling way. James keeps his chops in check here, letting the lyrics and voice do most of the heavy lifting. It’s a soulful, chilled-out moment that feels like a serious 4am conversation over smokes and whiskey. Quiet moments can still be epic and that’s definitely the case on this one.

Be sure to also get tuned into James’ romping version of Bob Dylan’s “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry.” He delivers Bob’s lyrics well and also throws down more killer guitar work. Colin James has made the record of his career with Open Road and shows us a lifetime of musical evolution and skill on every song. Do yourself a favor and listen closely because there’s a lot here to take in. Highly recommended.

Watch “Open Road”