Electric Love — Maple blues review

Written by John Valentyne

Jack de Keyzer calls the new disc ‘a rock blues album with nods to guitar influences Clapton, Hendrix and Page’ and I guess it is that but it is mostly a disc of excellent new songs by a bluesman who should be considered their equal. It is also beautifully recorded, Jack’s vocals and guitar have never sounded better. Aside from two background vocalists, this is the band as you would catch them live, no guests and very few, if any, overdubs, just a hard touring band introducing some new material: David McMorrow on keyboards, Alan Duffy on bass and Rick Donaldson on drums. “Electric Love” opens the program as a blues-rock anthem and closes it as “Acoustic Love”, with Jack accompanying himself on slide in a remarkable downhome blues version. In between we get ten more led by a very fine slow blues “My Love Has Gone”. “Good Thing” will get you up & moving, with McMorrow setting the groove on organ and Jack soloing, soaring over that groove as only he can. “To The Beauty Of You” is one of his finest ballads. “Earthquake Girl” is channels Muddy, complete with a searing slide solo (with some Hendrix wah-wah pedal for good measure) and Hooker-esque chanting vocals, I can see this lasting a lot longer than five minutes in performance. Add in rockers like “Mojo Woman”, “Rock Me Like This” & “Groove Doctor” and there’ll be a most enjoyable new set list for the next Jack show you see. He has a European Tour coming up but the CD Release Parties are right afterwards: Saturday, November 17th at Stonewalls in Hamilton, and Friday, November 23rd at the Silver Dollar..