This in from Miranda in her own words. Ed
Thursday this week (4th December) sees the release of Isle of Wight bluesman Laurie McVay’s new CD, My Kind of Blues. The 13 track album is typically eclectic, combining blues with elements of soul, funk and jazz.
Laurie muses,
“These are blues, but not as you know them.”
My Kind of Blues
The title of the album signals two things. McVay wants the listener to know that he is doing blues his way.
At the same time, he is clear that he has to find his own way to sing his songs of life,
“Blues music is a Black American music form, but I am neither black nor American. So, I have to find my own way to tell my own stories and to express my love for a music which has been around me for the best part of my lifetime.”
Lifelong blues lover
McVay says that he has been a blues fan since the age of seven, when he heard Jose Feliciano perform an old standard, Going to Chicago Blues.
In his teens, he built up a huge collection of American blues albums, at a time when the music was out of fashion. He also learnt to play instruments – first harmonica, then guitar – en route to becoming a performer in his own right.
Respected singer and songwriter
Laurie McVay is now a greatly respected singer and songwriter, who is often compared to modern bluesmen such as Bobby Bland and Robert Cray. His new album reflects his twenty first century take on the music.
The seven self-penned songs take an original approach to some blues themes (desire, loneliness, healing), whilst the covers – from artists such as Bland, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson – have been greatly restyled.
Laurie observes,
“I really wanted to take my approach to everything, including the covers. These are all songs of life, including my own.”
Launch this week
My Kind of Blues will be launched on Thursday, 4th December at the venue where Laurie McVay and his band the High Rollers hold regular ‘Big Blues Parties’ – Flanagan’s in Pier Street, Sandown.
The evening will begin at 8pm and will also feature guest artists and a wealth of recorded blues music.
