Review: The Strongman Blues Remedy Volume One

By Mike O’Cull

Canadian blues supergroup The Strongman Blues Remedy is here to cure what ails you with its debut release Volume One. Set to drop on June 17, 2022 on the Stony Plain Records imprint, the project was conceived and executed by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Steve Strongman and is intended to be an antidote to the malaise and frustration felt by music fans during the pandemic.

Strongman wrote and recorded the album with a crew of Canadian blues luminaries that includes JUNO and Maple Blues Award winners Dawn Tyler Watson, Crystal Shawanda, Harrison Kennedy, and Steve Marriner. The songs they created come at listeners from different points of view but share a common message that the best thing we can do for our troubled world is to fill it with life-affirming music.

Steve Strongman is well-known in the blues community as an outstanding solo artist and songwriter. He has released seven albums as a leader and has spent his life lighting up venues around the globe. His sound ranges from swampy to sweet and has gained him a devoted following. He’s won a JUNO Award, the Mel Brown Blues Award, the International Blues Challenge’s Best Guitarist award, four Maple Blues Awards, and more for his efforts and built a formidable reputation as a fine player, singer, and songwriter. Volume One is Strongman’s first credit as a producer and he slam-dunked the task, crafting a record that enlightens and entertains at every turn. The set will kick your blues to the curb and get you focused on living and loving instead of hiding and surviving.

Strongman opens Volume One with the roots rocker “Hard Luck.” It’s an upbeat song despite its title and features Strongman’s sweet touch on slide guitar as well as a tight beat from drummer Dave King. His vocals are engaging and believable and his lyrics are well-written and will be relatable to a whole lot of listeners. The track is cathartic rather than sad and it sounds like Steve is about to kick his bad luck in the backside and get on down the road. It’s an ideal opener and will quickly raise the temperature wherever it gets played.

“Swansong” gets into Steve’s swamp-rock side, taking fans on a soulful ride down a gravel road. The song asks if we, as in humans, are coming to the end of our story due to our own mistakes and is built around the line “if you don’t believe then you don’t belong.” Steve Marriner puts down an excellent vocal take that helps elevate “Swansong” to a higher realm and communicate the track’s tough questions. It’s a hip-shaker, to be sure, but it also packs a lot of food for thought when you slow down and listen closely.

Dawn Tyler Watson fully dominates the vocal mic on the sexy “Fine Young Man.” Watson has a bold and bodacious voice that meshes well with Strongman’s guitar style and the combination turns this one into an album highlight. Like all the songs on Volume One, the arrangement never overpowers the cut’s big picture and this disciplined style lets everyone involved shine brightly.

All the heads out there will love the old-school jump blues of “Gettin’ Stoned.” It’s a swinging, pro-pot number done in a nuanced, vintage style that would get any speakeasy or juke joint up and dancing. Alec Fraser contributes a jumping bass line that adds a lot of joy to this already-happy tune and is essential to its groove. Other can’t-miss moments on Volume One include “I Don’t Miss You” and “True To Me.” The Strongman Blues Remedy Volume One is an absolutely cracking collective of musicians that’s likely to be your favorite new band of the summer. Let’s hope a second album is already in the works.

Pre-order The Strongman Blues Remedy Vol. One Here

Listen “Fine Young Man”