"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."
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"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."
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"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." "
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"...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."
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"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."
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"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.' "
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"It’s carefully chosen, impeccably rendered, sumptuous material – perhaps the best Jim Byrnes record yet."
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"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."
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"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."
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"Byrnes exquisite performance takes you back to days gone by in this excellent laid back collection."
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"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."
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"The arrangements are modern, complementary and very listenable, Jim’s vocals are rich and warm, and overall, the result is well worth a listen."
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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"Byrnes’ tasty vocals and Dawson’s pedal steel deliver maximum satisfaction. Mighty enjoyable goods!"
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