One Eye Open is Edmonton, Canada based Kat Danser's sixth album and takes her from the Mississippi Delta to Havana and back to Canada in ten tracks, eight of which are self-penned and opening with the big band sounds of Way I Like It Done. Also prominent on this opener is Kevin McKendree's piano which supplements Kat's velvet vocal and Steve Dawson's long, fluid guitar notes. It's full of attitude and a great start to the album. It's already obvious that the horns are going to play a big apart in this set of songs and the trio in the section (Dominic Conway, Jeremy Cook and Malcolm Aiken) are on form again on Lonely & The Dragon. This slow, churning Blues features slinky guitar from veteran guitarist Dawson, who also produced the album, and a breathless vocal from Kat. However, it is McKendree's telling fills on Hammond that are the making of this track as, whilst the guitar runs are good, McKendree's rapid fingers win the day. One of the two covers is Gus Cannon's Bring It With You When You Come and it's hard to believe that this song is almost 100 years old. Kat and the band breathe fresh life into it and the jaunty, bar room Ragtime is set off wonderfully by barrelhouse piano and slide guitar. The guitar led Frenchman Street Shake is one for a little shuffle on the floor. The New Orleans vibes are provided by the horn section as sax takes a lead role alongside Dawson's slide guitar. Kat goes up a key for this and gives us some happy music with Jeremy Holmes on bass being effective yet unobtrusive as he is throughout the album. The second cover is Jessie Mae Hemphill's Get Right, Church which is appropriate as Kat could be a Jessie Mae for the 21st century. Dawson delivers superb acoustic slide in addition to lap steel which rings like a bell. There's minimal percussion but we get deep, ethereal tones from baritone sax to fill it out. It's an old style preaching Blues with a high level of playing, especially on slide guitar.

One Eye Closed is uptempo and Punk infused and although I get the sentiment, it's not the best track on offer. We get ragged guitar and snarling vocal and it allows Kat to maybe get 2020 out of her veins and that's fair enough. The guitar is the best bit. Slide guitar is welcomed back for Trainwreck and they're back on form with this classic Country roadhouse style. It's well played and the track is very good but the vocal is only functional and won't be getting on my list for favourite singer of the year. The mini vocal dip in quality ends with Please, Don't Cry and this Patsy Cline style Country song allows Kat to show a mournful side to her voice. The whole thing is played at funereal pace and Dawson's slide guitar is the star yet again. Kat continues to shine vocally on End Of Days, which is slow and relaxing despite the Covid topic. Written in her favourite cigar shop, it's a Soul Blues with Dawson on dobro and McKendree on organ taking prominence. Proceedings are brought to an end with Mi Corazon, which encapsulates the Latin themes brought from Cuba, although I think it's got elements of Tex-Mex too, especially with lap steel bringing that USA element. Sung in Spanish and with horns abound, it's a different way to end the album. More ups than downs and that makes it one for consideration for your collection.