If like me you are not familiar with Kat Danser’s considerable back catalogue, she hails from Canada and has acquired a mantlepiece full of awards and nominations in her native land, as well as being a music scholar and lecturer. Whilst residing north of the 49th parallel, her music treads the well-trodden path of the Mississippi Delta Blues, stopping off at New Orleans and an occasional detour to Cuba. This, her 6th album, faced the additional challenge of the musicians having to record their contributions in separate locations due to the Corona Virus restrictions. So, credit to all concerned, especially producer and guitarist Steve Dawson, for delivering an album where you can’t hear metaphoric joins. The opener ‘Way I Like It Done’, serves as a representative sample of the album; nice Memphis style horns, upright sounding piano, a somewhat predictable slide guitar solo and Danser’s rich smokey vocals. ‘Lonely And The Dragon’ slows the pace and has a set of well composed yet sinister lyrics (referencing chasing dragons and rocks and pipes), underpinned by Kevin McKendree’s atmospheric “soul-organ” sound. ‘Bring It With You When You Come’ is the first of two covers, written by Gus ‘Banjo Joe’ Cotton in the late 1920’s and given an appropriately Dixieland accompaniment. ‘Frenchman Street Shake’ goes straight for the Creole jugular: Bo Diddley beat, Americana horns and suitable references to “pile gumbo”, “joie de vivre” and the Marigny district of New Orleans. ‘Get Right Church’ covers a Jessie Mae Hemphill song and is a lovely atmospheric “tuned-down” gospel song, but a long way removed from “happy-clappy”; with nice acoustic and pedal-steel underpinnings. The title track ‘One Eye Open’ follows and is unexpectedly reminiscent of the Ramones - angry lyrics and angry vocals: I can’t decide whether this is a send-up or a genuine cri de coueur. Either way it seems oddly out of place. ‘Trainwreck’ returns us to more familiar territory and incants ‘Train I Ride’ in a good way. ‘Please Don’t Cry’ could have been made for Patsy Cline, replete with country fiddle, slide guitar, and a fine vocal performance. ‘End of Days’ is a simple old-fashioned love song with some touching, optomistic lyrics and the album closes with ‘Mi Corazon’ (My Heart), Danser’s Spanish language rumba love song to Havana. Kat Danser undoubtedly has a great range and turns a fine set of lyrics. Vocally, she reminds me for the main part of somewhere between Connie Lush and Dana Gillespie, she can carry a gentle ballad or spit razor blades as required. Is this album blues? Well, yes in a “curate’s egg” sort of way. Danser certainly can cover a lot of musical bases but roots/Americana is probably the most inclusive.