Messenger Newspapers UK (Kevin Bryan)
Jim Byrnes' name may not be too familiar to the average punter on this side of the Atlantic, but this supremely gifted American expatriate has been the recipient of numerous prestigious Juno and Maple Blues Awards in his adopted Canadian homeland since moving there in the mid seventies. Jim's latest collaboration with guitarist and producer Steve Dawson finds the pair tackling a blend of original material and soulful covers, including Bobby Bland's "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City," The Band's "The Shape I'm In," and Percy Sledge's "Out of Left Field." Splendid Stuff.