Bill McQuaid Buy the CD

From the first wistful, slightly out of tune note of Blind Willie McTell’s “East St Louis Blues”, to the final up-tempo number “Rag Mama Rag”, I was captivated by this CD.

It is a collection of vintage country blues songs by guitarist and vocalist and sometimes producer, Bill McQuaid, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For this project, his second CD, he has gathered some very talented musicians, some from a band he is in and some guests, who play an assortment of instruments. These are Steve Sadler, on mandolin and banjo, Jim Fitting, on harmonica, Johnny Sciascia, on upright bass, Washtub Robbie Phillips, on jaw(s) harp, Dana M. Price, on fiddle, Michael Dinallo on electric guitar and Dinty Child, on field organ.

It was recorded in Mari’s Parlor (Mari is his wife) and it has a fresh, live feel to it. Bill and Michael Dinallo produced and Ducky Carlisle mixed it.

The repertoire is drawn from songbooks of the masters: one each from Tommy Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Boy Fuller, Brownie McGhee, and Scrapper Blackwell, two from Willie McTell, including the title track “Love Changing Blues”, and four from Blind Blake. How they would have loved to have heard their works beautifully played and recorded with such clarity! There is also “The Blues My Naughtie Sweetie Gives To Me” (Swanstone/McCarron/Morgan), a witty but sad raggy song from the twenties, which I first heard performed live by Mary Flower.

All the songs have me either tapping my foot or singing along. There is variety of feel, style and pace, in fact everything to enjoy. Rating 10 - Fran Leslie