Jim Byrnes
St. Louis Times
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Produced By: Steve Dawson
Recorded In: Vancouver, Nashville
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Jim Byrnes lives and breathes music. For nearly fifty years he’s crooned, drawled, belted, hollered and sweet- talked more songs into a microphone than most people ever get to hear in a single lifetime.
Even so, he’s never recorded an album like this one. St. Louis Times is Byrnes’ most personal record to date. Reminiscences of his childhood home of St. Louis are expressed through his original compositions as well as versions of songs he grew up with that were recorded by St. Louis musicians. By revisiting songs associated with Chuck Berry, Stump Johnson, Little Milton, Peetie Wheatstraw and more, Jim Byrnes takes us on an intimate musical journey through a world that has passed by – just in time for the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the city of St. Louis and the 100th anniversary of the song ‘St. Louis Blues.’
St. Louis Times is the sixth album that Jim Byrnes and Steve Dawson have recorded together, and its release coincides with the tenth anniversary of their partnership. With that in mind, Dawson gathered some of the best roots musicians in Canada together for a super session to record the basic tracks for St. Louis Times on vintage equipment in a big old studio blessed with brilliant ambience and acoustics. As usual Dawson’s signature string work rides shotgun through St. Louis Times and has never sounded more right for Jim’s songs, while Darryl Havers’ innovative keyboard work and the rock solid rhythm section of Jeremy Holmes on bass and the tireless Geoff Hicks on drums gracefully support every track. Horns from a host of legendary Nashville players provide depth and texture on many of St. Louis Times’ best songs.
Jim’s old friend John Hammond passed through Vancouver while St. Louis Times was being recorded, which provided the perfect opportunity for the two veterans to duck into the studio and cement a forty-year friendship in song. Hammond trades verses with Byrnes on ‘Duck’s Yas Yas Yas’, offers some tasty National Steel on ‘Cake Alley’ – an ode to one of St. Louis’ seedier neighbourhoods of yesteryear – and blows some serious harp on ‘Evil’ and ‘I Believe That Was A Lie.’ Not to be outdone, the Canadian blues icon, Colin James stepped up to play an acoustic solo on ‘That Will Never Do’ that may very well be the best thing he’s ever recorded. No Sinner’s Colleen Rennison also dropped by the session to belt and snarl her way through ‘Miss Me,’ the old Fontella Bass and Bobby McLure hit that will surely be remembered as one of the finest performances on the album.
As spot-on as Byrnes’ choice of classic songs from St. Louis’ heyday is, the things that many of his fans look forward to hearing the most on a new album are Jim’s original tunes. He’s outdone himself this time with his first foray into spoken word with the emotive ‘The Journey Home’ that takes his listeners through the sights and sounds of the bustling St. Louis of Jim Byrnes’ childhood. The slow blues of ‘Old Dog, New Tricks’ with beautiful clarinet accents from Tom Colclough and the spiritually uplifting ‘I Need A Change’ prove once again that Byrnes is an artist with a lot of depth and a huge vocal palette, while ‘Somebody Lied’ is as fine an homage to Jimmy Reed as anyone could ever hope to hear.
The 250th anniversary of the founding of St. Louis and ten years of partnership with Steve Dawson may have been the original motivation for recording St. Louis Times, but the sheer joy you can hear in the music Jim Byrnes and company create is the real reason to celebrate. Jim Byrnes is a living musical treasure and St. Louis Times is his best record yet. And, that’s saying something.
Reviews
"Hot stuff throughout, done right, done the way it should be that shows blues continues to be in good hands, going forward and going backward. Check it out."
"He has just released his tenth album, "St. Louis Times," a superb collection of blues tunes, including many original and neat covers of Albert King's "I Get Evil" and Chuck Berry's classic "Nadine." "
"...Opening with an Albert King track with that Latin twist, 'Somebody Lied' is a cool number with cool vocals and guitar work from Byrnes and John Hammond on harp."
"Byrnes is blessed with a deep and resonant blues voice permeated with a clarity that makes the lyrics as important as the melody – a true storyteller in the old tradition."
"The connection between Jim Byrnes and the music contained on his new CD is palpable. 'These songs represent a snapshot of what I heard growing up in St. Louis,' Byrnes says. 'There’s an unbelievable history there, and I was exposed to it both in live performances and on the radio. The music surrounded me when I was a kid and this album is my way of repaying the city for what it gave me.' "
"It’s carefully chosen, impeccably rendered, sumptuous material – perhaps the best Jim Byrnes record yet."
"Jim Byrnes offers his version of his birth city’s anthem and presents “St. Louis Blues”, on the eve of the song’s one hundredth anniversary."
"Seldom do I hear anything that leaves me speechless, but I could sum this one up in a single word…WOW! This is Byrnes and Steve Dawson’s sixth album together and I guess I don’t have to tell you that I am really impressed."
"Byrnes exquisite performance takes you back to days gone by in this excellent laid back collection."
"The originals are solid tunes with The Journey Home being exceptional with recollections of the Mississippi, listening to the Dodgers and the Cardinals over the radio, and the Illinois Central trains with Dawson’s telling guitar responses to the latter."
"The arrangements are modern, complementary and very listenable, Jim’s vocals are rich and warm, and overall, the result is well worth a listen."
"St. Louis Times is as top shelf and solid as anything the guy has so far done, and it was produced, recorded, and mixed to a honed luster by…oh hell, that Canuck wunderkind Steve Dawson, who also plays his usual killer guitar licks and co-writes with Big Jim."
"Byrnes is an artist with depth and intensity. He has that “been there, done that, have to sing a song about it” quality that makes the blues a genre that never gets old."
"Like Scotch whisky or French cheese, Jim Byrnes just gets better with age, and St. Louis Times is the most satisfying thing he’s ever committed to wax. In fact, it’s one of the finest blues records ever made in Western Canada; I certainly can’t think of a stronger one."
"On St. Louis Times Jim Byrnes finds a voice, in both the literal and the metaphorical senses, that is perfectly pitched between yesterday and today, which is to say between the traditional and the contemporary."
"St. Louis Times is not only Jim Byrnes’ most personal recording, it’s also his best. He really seems to be firing on all cylinders with this one, maybe because it hits so close to home, literally."
"St. Louis Times is a joy to listen to, Byrnes paying tribute to his hometown’s musical heritage as well as his own with a set that displays a wealth of heart and soul."
"Byrnes’ tasty vocals and Dawson’s pedal steel deliver maximum satisfaction. Mighty enjoyable goods!"
"Byrnes often has lauded the influence of his native city in previous interviews, but the new record isn’t a dreary travelogue or nostalgia. It’s more expansive and creative than that, and he also rates it his most personal."
"By the close, when Dawson veritably weeps on guitar and Byrnes laments during Lonnie Johnson's "Another Night to Cry," it's quite apparent that this is a must-have album."
"This album charms listeners, who will find it very inviting. It’s easy on the ears, and tastefully performed. Take it for a spin soon."
"Jim Byrnes is one of those music warriors who has spent nearly half a century in the studio and on the road playing his brand of American roots music. He has now returned with the most unique and personal album."
"...Jim Byrnes, a musical veteran who, for half a century (his first professional gig was in 1964), has been keeping the blues alive."
"For the sixth time now, the Byrnes-Dawson collaboration is substantially far greater than the already impressive sum of their considerable parts."
"An affectionate salute to this home town, Jim Byrnes' "St. Louis Times" delights with his heartfelt, and fresh renditions of some vintage blues and some originals."
"The twelve tracks are a mixture of songs that were recorded by St. Louis musicians like Chuck Berry, Stump Johnson, Little Milton, and Peetie Wheatstraw, along with several new tunes written by Byrnes that pay tribute to the city of his birth and the music he grew up on."