Rob Lutes

Press Quotes, Rob Lutes

"If anybody embodied the beauty and honesty of roots music, it's Rob Lutes. His set was a naked flame set to torch the place."
Maverick (UK)

"A gem. Among the best in a crowded roots field."
Toronto Star

"Widely acknowledged as a gifted songwriter."
Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Citizen

“A great songwriter, a man with a great way with words and also a fantastic guitar picker!”
Michael Jerome Browne

“Lutes should be recognized as on of the country's more distinctive roots voices.”
Dean Cottrill, Hour Magazine

"Everytime I listen to the latest Rob Lutes CD I'm a little more awe-struck. Powerful and subtle lyrics; and what a delivery, half whisper, half
breathless promise...wow."
Julie Miller - CFLX Sherbrooke

“Probably the best-kept secret on the Montreal folk-blues scene. A must for every fan of folk music.” Paroles et Musique

“Lutes displays colors and talents like the John Hiatt of Bring the Family and Slow Turning.”
Serge Truffaut, Le Devoir, Montreal

“A world-class songwriter.
Mike Regenstreif

“Lutes seems like a cross between the electric-acoustic duality of Fred Eaglesmith and the tenderness of Ron Sexsmith. Truly excellent.”
Claude Cote, Voir Magazine, Montreal

“…a creator of distinctive, beautiful folk-blues rhythms as good as the best writer-composers of his generation. Heart and soul come through in his voice.”
André Courey, Tremblant Express, Tremblant, Quebec

“In the overcrowded field of roots-inspired music, though, the singer-songwriter is only as good as the stories he’s telling, and in this respect, Lutes proves to be an expert.”
Johnson Cummins, Montreal Mirror

“One of the most impressive new Americana artists of the decade.”
Kees van Wee, Heaven Magazine

"Rob’s deftly impassioned musings are delivered in an earthily confidential, gently rasping vocal style that more than anything calls to mind Chris Smither, but has also been likened to Dave Van Ronk or John Hiatt."
David Kidman, Netrhythms.co.uk (UK)

"...his mastery of playing and singing, make both seem like a natural extension of his honest world view. Like the best of singer/songwriters, Rob Lutes creates a space within the song where listener and singer share a cab ride. You are alone in the back seat, the world is zooming by and there are stories to be told and lessons to be learned."
theacousticroot.com

"Lutes is a master storyteller."
Gerard Dee, Montreal Mirror

“Rob Lutes has refined his expression as he has climbed a notch with each release. He is now, in my opinion, among the very finest in the genre.”
Johan Annetorp, www.rootsy.nu


THE RECORDINGS

Truth & Fiction (2009)

"Formidable writing skills. A damn fine CD."
Penguin Eggs

“His most compelling album yet.”
Mike Regenstreif, Montreal Gazette

"a whole bunch of genuinely moving songs that manage also to be both likeable and memorable...stunning."
Netrhythms.co.uk

"Rob Lutes' talent is not fiction and once again, he delivers an album at the height of his talent."
Le Net Blues

“An inspired songwriter.”
http://rootstime.be

“a skilled synthesis between contemporary semi-acoustic blues and folk music. A superb album.”
http://rootsville.be/
"More releases like 2008's splendid Truth & Fiction, perhaps the best release of his career, and Lutes won't need to worry about the rent. A gifted songwriter widely praised and perhaps more widely thought of as underknown, Lutes seems poised to tip." Ottawa XPress


Ride the Shadows (2006)

"Lutes sounds like he's letting you in on a secret and you'd better listen, while the less-is-more approach to the music emphasizes the connection between singer, song and acoustic guitar."
Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Citizen

Ride the Shadows named TOP TEN CANADIAN CDs of 2007 – Ottawa Citizen

Ride the Shadows named Top 50 CDs of 2007 by American Connection

“Montreal's Rob Lutes makes his music at the same intersection of blues, Americana, and singer-songwriter balladry that Chris Smither and David Van Ronk have inhabited so well. In his third album, Rob shows off smooth Piedmont style fingerpicking, a whisky baritone voice, and tasteful accompaniment on 12 soulful and powerful songs.”
Sing Out!

“With the release of his latest CD, Rob Lutes, Canadian singer-songwriter-guitarist puts his name is a rare category of artist. His voice is equally exceptional as his skill on the guitar. Fans of vocals, melody and guitar work will love the subtle mix of blues, jazz and ragtime that is Rob Lutes music.”
Jacques Charbonneau, www.laguitar.com

“A strong effort that features a particularly strong vocal performance from Lutes, soul-searching lyrics that seek out both darkness and light and a tender cover of the Otis Redding classic That's How Strong My Love Is. In other words, well worth the wait.”
Bernard Perusse, Montreal Gazette

”His songwriting has developed a lyrical perception that allows him to tackle difficult - Various

Review in Toronto Blues Society magazine

Veteran Montreal guitarists in an intimate, acoustic setting, before an appreciative audience and with the recording team on hand – a recipe for an enjoyable disc. The club is Le Red Room in Glen Sutton, in the Quebec countryside and the program a selection from Rob Lutes’ previous discs plus four favourites. This is one of the best live recordings I’ve heard, capturing the show so well you might think you didn’t have to be there. The 15 years or so of Lutes & McDonald playing together are very much in evidence here as the interplay of the guitars, so beautifully recorded, adds immeasurably to the enjoyment. Lutes’ warm & raspy baritone voice mesmerizes and careful listening reveals a thoughtful & eloquent songwriter. The first song, “Uptight”, was a winner at the Kerrville Festival a few years back. “I Know A Girl” was inspired by a line from Robert Johnson’s “They’re Red Hot”. “Drop Down Baby” is tour de force of blues guitar as the duo really let fly on a new arrangement of the Sleepy John Estes classic. “I Will Stand By You”, from his Ride The Shadows CD, has also been recorded by Dawn Tyler Watson and shows he belongs in that group of singer/songwriters with the likes of Chris Whitley and Chris Smither. Whitley’s bluesy original, “Phone Call From Leavenworth” is a keeper as is Lutes’ tribute to Smither, “If The Blues Don’t Shake
You”. Fretboard fireworks again highlight the traditional “Ain’t Nobody’s Business”. More of his own blues, “Keep A Man Down”, with McDonald on slide and a song for his father, “Drive My Blues Away” show why his songs are in demand from other performers. Excellent performances of excellent songs: get your copy at www.roblutes.com.


Review in Penguin Eggs

Rob Lutes and Rob Macdonald, Live, Independent
In a past life Rob Lutes wrote renovation books for Home Depot, but now that eye for drywall and kitchen cabinets has shifted to songwriting. That’s a good thing for Canadian roots music, although home handymen might miss his advice.
This live album with frequent collaborator Rob MacDonald on resophonic guitar was recorded on a cold January day in the town of Glenn Sutton near Montreal. It’ll make you wish you were in that little club, but it’s the next best thing to being there.
Delivered with his gravelly voice and percussive guitar fingerpicking, Lutes’ music is rooted in the blues, without staying in the box. The former writer/editor is literate in his songwriting, delivering plenty of zingers like “Unwrap each sour memory and throw away the peel.” Lutes acknowledges his roots with worthy interpretations of a few well-chosen covers, including my favourite Bee Gees song, To Love Somebody.
MacDonald’s playing is a perfect foil for Lutes. It’s always tasteful and restrained, but he shows he can rip off a mean solo in a rousing version of Ain’t Nobody’s Business.
With work like this, Lutes should be getting a warm reception on “this cold Canadian road,” to quote the man himself.
Mike Sadava




Review by Mike Regenstreif in Folk Roots/Folk Branches
(http://frfb.blogspot.com/2011/06/rob-lutes-rob-macdonald-live.html)

Over the course of four albums in 11 years, Montreal-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Rob Lutes has been steadily building a well-deserved reputation for his well-crafted songs, which often deal with difficult subjects, and entertaining live performances featuring his gritty voice and fluid blues-based guitar playing. Resophonic guitarist Rob MacDonald has played on most of Lutes’ recordings and has been his frequent on-stage collaborator since the time of the first album. On this intimate live album, the two Robs revisit 10 of Lutes’ original songs drawn from three of the earlier albums.

Among the highlights are “Uptight,” a commentary on the destructiveness of arguments that can escalate from something trivial or pointless, and “Keep a Man Down,” an angry song about a disintegrating relationship. The effects of too much alcohol on the lives of Lutes’ characters can be felt in both of those songs. Another is “Cold Canadian Road,” in which the protagonist seems determined not to let the relationship get to the disintegration of “Keep a Man Down.”

In addition to Lutes’ own songs, the Robs also offer four covers, including fine versions of “Ain’t Nobody’s Business,” which seems like it’s based on Eric Von Schmidt’s “Champagne Don't Hurt Me, Baby,” and Sleepy John Estes’ “Drop Down Baby” (which is more frequently performed as “Drop Down Mama”). Both of those songs show Lutes and MacDonald’s facility and skills with traditional country blues styles.

It’s been about three years since Lutes’ most recent set of new material. I’m looking forward to hearing more before too long.


Review in Le Devoir (Montreal daily)

Rob Lutes, le chanteur guitariste aux couleurs de folk et au doigté de blues, qui écrit des chansons au lyrisme parfois troublant, retrouve son vieux complice Rob MacDonal - Various

For every Dylan wanna-be trying to repeat the unrepeatable by using Pro Tools technology, you have to hope there's a Rob Lutes.
The N.D.G.-based singer-songwriter actually has a working Westinghouse 3-channel Hi-Fidelity stereo unit in his living room. Beside that hi-fi -- the kind that used to adorn swinging bachelor pads in the 1960s -- are crates of vinyl albums and some old 78s. He's most at home talking about the fingerpicking techniques of seminal bluesmen like Blind Blake and Robert Johnson.
The passion for authenticity is all over Lutes's music, although the production values are state-of-the-art. His 1999 debut, Gravity, was virtually a sampler: "They say you have your whole life to make your first record. I had way too many songs, so I showed a whole bunch of different things: some folk, some bluegrass, some country, some rock, some blues," he said.
While Gravity featured instantly memorable tracks like the haunting Eighteen Years and the manic folk-blues of Rob's Deep River Blues, last year's follow-up disc, Middle Ground, was a huge step forward. The songs are seamless, with a band that has now locked into its own special groove. Second guitarist Rob MacDonald, bassist Tony Cuco, and drummer R.D. Harris -- the core musicians in Lutes's back-up group -- put their own stamp on tracks like Jackson, a slinky four-on-the-floor bit of country-funk with Nanette Workman on background vocals, and the folk-rocker Uncommon Bond.
"It's more of a band album," Lutes said. "I'm from the school where I like to follow the path of people like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, who didn't want to make the same record every time."
The Ontario-born singer grew up in New Brunswick and moved to Montreal in 1992. He has since become a regular on the local music scene, both as a headliner and as an opening act for the likes of Tom Cochrane, Chris Duarte and Ron Sexsmith. He plays some concerts that showcase his original material, others that comine his songs with covers, and some blues gigs. But buzz notwithstanding, it's not an easy life. "As a singer-songwriter in Montreal, you can't make a living. You have to get outside the city," Lutes said. Roughtly 40 per cent of the 100 or so gigs he does every year are in places like Ottawa, Vancouver and Fredericton. He also plays festival in such places as Mont Tremblant, Chicoutimi and Joliette. It's a busy schedule, but Lutes doesn't really have a choice -- music is in his blood.
"(Folk singer) Garnet Rogers told me you write songs because you need to write songs. They're helping you to cope with what's going on in your life. That's the only way it works," Lutes said.
When Lutes lost his day job as a writer-editor for a publishing company a year ago, he plunged into music full-time. A consultant in Nashville he hired to help market his work has received positive reaction to Middle Ground from several American labels, Lutes said.
The move south and bigger exposure might sound like every musician's dream, but the bilingual Lutes said he's grown to love this city, and he's even considering the idea of recording in French.
"I co-wrote a song with Montreal poet Danial Guilbeault called Ma blonde s'est transformee en poisson dans l'eau du bain, which Jim Corcoran played on (his radio show) A Propos a few times. I play some Daniel Lanois, like Jolie Louis, and I generally speak in French. The French media and public have treated me just great," he said. "There's that market to tap into, too. You don't want to limit yourself."
His main reason for staying here, he said, is his 10-year-old daughter, Jesse Carmichael. "I moved here a few months before she was born," he said.
In fact, family is something of a recurring theme in Lutes's songs. The death of his father last year is specifically addressed in Last Chance, and Ruth is about his late grandmother. "A lot of people have thought that songs I've written have been about them or that certain characters in the songs have been them. Sometimes they've been right. Sometimes they've been wrong -- but I never admit to it," he said, laughing.
Lutes's mother was convinced -- wrongly so -- that Jenny, one of the characters in Last Chance, was her. "She'd been thinking this for six months and she was holding it inside. She was embarrassed to tell me, but she felt kind of uneasy with that public openness," he said.
"My ex-girlfriend's been waiting for the next record," Lutes said. "We have this little joke about how many songs are going to be about her -- and what they're going to sound like."

- Bernard Perusse

For every Dylan wanna-be trying to repeat the unrepeatable by using Pro Tools technology, you have to hope there's a Rob Lutes.
The N.D.G.-based singer-songwriter actually has a working Westinghouse 3-channel Hi-Fidelity stereo unit in his living room. Beside that hi-fi -- the kind that used to adorn swinging bachelor pads in the 1960s -- are crates of vinyl albums and some old 78s. He's most at home talking about the fingerpicking techniques of seminal bluesmen like Blind Blake and Robert Johnson.
The passion for authenticity is all over Lutes's music, although the production values are state-of-the-art. His 1999 debut, Gravity, was virtually a sampler: "They say you have your whole life to make your first record. I had way too many songs, so I showed a whole bunch of different things: some folk, some bluegrass, some country, some rock, some blues," he said.
While Gravity featured instantly memorable tracks like the haunting Eighteen Years and the manic folk-blues of Rob's Deep River Blues, last year's follow-up disc, Middle Ground, was a huge step forward. The songs are seamless, with a band that has now locked into its own special groove. Second guitarist Rob MacDonald, bassist Tony Cuco, and drummer R.D. Harris -- the core musicians in Lutes's back-up group -- put their own stamp on tracks like Jackson, a slinky four-on-the-floor bit of country-funk with Nanette Workman on background vocals, and the folk-rocker Uncommon Bond.
"It's more of a band album," Lutes said. "I'm from the school where I like to follow the path of people like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, who didn't want to make the same record every time."
The Ontario-born singer grew up in New Brunswick and moved to Montreal in 1992. He has since become a regular on the local music scene, both as a headliner and as an opening act for the likes of Tom Cochrane, Chris Duarte and Ron Sexsmith. He plays some concerts that showcase his original material, others that comine his songs with covers, and some blues gigs. But buzz notwithstanding, it's not an easy life. "As a singer-songwriter in Montreal, you can't make a living. You have to get outside the city," Lutes said. Roughtly 40 per cent of the 100 or so gigs he does every year are in places like Ottawa, Vancouver and Fredericton. He also plays festival in such places as Mont Tremblant, Chicoutimi and Joliette. It's a busy schedule, but Lutes doesn't really have a choice -- music is in his blood.
"(Folk singer) Garnet Rogers told me you write songs because you need to write songs. They're helping you to cope with what's going on in your life. That's the only way it works," Lutes said.
When Lutes lost his day job as a writer-editor for a publishing company a year ago, he plunged into music full-time. A consultant in Nashville he hired to help market his work has received positive reaction to Middle Ground from several American labels, Lutes said.
The move south and bigger exposure might sound like every musician's dream, but the bilingual Lutes said he's grown to love this city, and he's even considering the idea of recording in French.
"I co-wrote a song with Montreal poet Danial Guilbeault called Ma blonde s'est transformee en poisson dans l'eau du bain, which Jim Corcoran played on (his radio show) A Propos a few times. I play some Daniel Lanois, like Jolie Louis, and I generally speak in French. The French media and public have treated me just great," he said. "There's that market to tap into, too. You don't want to limit yourself."
His main reason for staying here, he said, is his 10-year-old daughter, Jesse Carmichael. "I moved here a few months before she was born," he said.
In fact, family is something of a recurring theme in Lutes's songs. The death of his father last year is specifically addressed in Last Chance, and Ruth is about his late grandmother. "A lot of people have thought that songs I've written have been about them or that certain characters in the songs have been them. Sometimes they've been right. Sometimes they've been wrong -- but I never admit to it," he said, laughing.
Lutes's mother was convinced -- wrongly so -- that Jenny, one of the characters in Last Chance, was her. "She'd been thinking this for six months and she was holding it inside. She was embarrassed to tell me, but she felt kind of uneasy with that public openness," he said.
"My ex-girlfriend's been waiting for the next record," Lutes said. "We have this little joke about how many songs are going to be about her -- and what they're going to sound like."

- Bernard Perusse

Rob Lutes's second record shines with excellent musicianship and finely crafted songs. A 2001 Kerrville New Folk winner, Lutes has a soulful, smoky voice and a veteran's sense of timing. His music is a vigorous, rootsy blend of folk, rock and blues; strong but never strident, comfortably familiar but never predictable. An artist to watch. - Richard Middleton

Rob Lutes's second record shines with excellent musicianship and finely crafted songs. A 2001 Kerrville New Folk winner, Lutes has a soulful, smoky voice and a veteran's sense of timing. His music is a vigorous, rootsy blend of folk, rock and blues; strong but never strident, comfortably familiar but never predictable. An artist to watch. - Richard Middleton

One of my favourite parts in the movie High Fidelity centred around how the clerks in John Cusak's record store continually and obsessively re-catalogued their music collections according to increasingly arcane criteria. I know people like that. Me, I file 'em roughly by genre. And you won't find Rob Lutes' sophomore effort, "Middle Ground," in with my blues discs.
So if it's not blues (according to my criteria, anyway), what's it doing here on CanadianBlues? For one thing, Lutes seems a bluesman at heart; he's a frequent performer at many blues festivals and appears at many venues known for blues booking policies, so it may well be that he does more blues-oriented material at his live shows (I've not yet had the pleasure).
It's always been my contention that blues fans love the music to a very large degree because of its honesty, its utter lack of pretence, and the direct and uncluttered means by which it unveils its emotional truths. And while Lutes' music may not conform to 12-bar convention, it certainly possesses the genre's best qualities. Yes, there's a little more to it than the basic blues structure - his songs are more layered, more melodic, dare we say more poetic, than a typical blues tune. But the feel, the emotional honesty, free of artifice and illusion, is very much the same.
Lutes sings in a voice that seems both wise and weary beyond his years. His own acoustic guitar work is augmented by that of Rob MacDonald, who also contributes restrained electric here and there; bassist Tony Cucco and drummer R. D. Harris make up the rhythm section, while Bob Stagg's moody, atmospheric organ (both B3 and Wurlitzer, and yes, there's a big difference!) and accordion work complete the soundscape. And soundscape is indeed the right word; there's an almost palpable sense of place to every composition, whether the effect is of wind-swept, wintery desolation or the sultry, dusty heat of an August afternoon.

Lutes' lyrics paint poignant pictures of loneliness and loss. His songs, truth be told, are almost invariably infused with sadness and regret; there's not much joy to be found here. But Lutes' ability to find the beauty in sadness is reminiscent of Van Morrison, at least when the irascible Irishman's singing straight from the heart. The prevailing mood may well be melancholic, but it's all achingly lovely, thoroughly clear-eyed and utterly unsentimental. If I've made it sound depressing, it's not; instead, call it reflective. Music, in short, for times when one's ready to contemplate the workings of the heart and the ways in which life so very often has its own ideas that aren't always in synch with our desires.
If one's looking for comparisons, I'd say there are hints here of Springsteen at his folkiest and John Hiatt at his bluesiest (circa his acoustic masterpiece, "Crossing Muddy Waters.") Fans of either will find much to like here, yet there's nothing at all derivative; Lutes' sound is unquestionably his own, and a huge part of "Middle Ground's" success lies in his unerring ability to find the perfect marriage between words and music.

So call it what you will, whether roots-rock or folk or blues (of a sort). File it however you see fit. But do yourself a favour and give Rob Lutes a listen. Middle Ground is a wonderful disc.
Purists beware, but this one gets my very highest recommendation!
- John Taylor

One of my favourite parts in the movie High Fidelity centred around how the clerks in John Cusak's record store continually and obsessively re-catalogued their music collections according to increasingly arcane criteria. I know people like that. Me, I file 'em roughly by genre. And you won't find Rob Lutes' sophomore effort, "Middle Ground," in with my blues discs.
So if it's not blues (according to my criteria, anyway), what's it doing here on CanadianBlues? For one thing, Lutes seems a bluesman at heart; he's a frequent performer at many blues festivals and appears at many venues known for blues booking policies, so it may well be that he does more blues-oriented material at his live shows (I've not yet had the pleasure).
It's always been my contention that blues fans love the music to a very large degree because of its honesty, its utter lack of pretence, and the direct and uncluttered means by which it unveils its emotional truths. And while Lutes' music may not conform to 12-bar convention, it certainly possesses the genre's best qualities. Yes, there's a little more to it than the basic blues structure - his songs are more layered, more melodic, dare we say more poetic, than a typical blues tune. But the feel, the emotional honesty, free of artifice and illusion, is very much the same.
Lutes sings in a voice that seems both wise and weary beyond his years. His own acoustic guitar work is augmented by that of Rob MacDonald, who also contributes restrained electric here and there; bassist Tony Cucco and drummer R. D. Harris make up the rhythm section, while Bob Stagg's moody, atmospheric organ (both B3 and Wurlitzer, and yes, there's a big difference!) and accordion work complete the soundscape. And soundscape is indeed the right word; there's an almost palpable sense of place to every composition, whether the effect is of wind-swept, wintery desolation or the sultry, dusty heat of an August afternoon.

Lutes' lyrics paint poignant pictures of loneliness and loss. His songs, truth be told, are almost invariably infused with sadness and regret; there's not much joy to be found here. But Lutes' ability to find the beauty in sadness is reminiscent of Van Morrison, at least when the irascible Irishman's singing straight from the heart. The prevailing mood may well be melancholic, but it's all achingly lovely, thoroughly clear-eyed and utterly unsentimental. If I've made it sound depressing, it's not; instead, call it reflective. Music, in short, for times when one's ready to contemplate the workings of the heart and the ways in which life so very often has its own ideas that aren't always in synch with our desires.
If one's looking for comparisons, I'd say there are hints here of Springsteen at his folkiest and John Hiatt at his bluesiest (circa his acoustic masterpiece, "Crossing Muddy Waters.") Fans of either will find much to like here, yet there's nothing at all derivative; Lutes' sound is unquestionably his own, and a huge part of "Middle Ground's" success lies in his unerring ability to find the perfect marriage between words and music.

So call it what you will, whether roots-rock or folk or blues (of a sort). File it however you see fit. But do yourself a favour and give Rob Lutes a listen. Middle Ground is a wonderful disc.
Purists beware, but this one gets my very highest recommendation!
- John Taylor

Lutes explores a variety of passions on his new packages, from the demise of a caddying career (Jackson), to the nearly departed (Last Chance), to the dearly departed (Ruth), to the dearly parted (Never Be Mine). Lutes renders each text credible and relistenable and should be recognized as on of the country's more distinctive roots voices. The settings are invoked with meticulous reserve resulting in a polished southern roots sound all his own. The arrangements by Lutes and lead guitarist Rob MacDonald come to life in front of a shining rhythm unit of Bob Stagg, R.D. Harris and Tony Cuco (keys, drums and bass) along with vocal support from Heather McLeod, Sas Harris, Linda Benoy and Nanette Workman. The moods are not always introspective, as in the case of the rollicking Middle Ground, but if there's one tune that stands out, it could be the soft rumba setting of Out There. - Dean Cottrill

Lutes explores a variety of passions on his new packages, from the demise of a caddying career (Jackson), to the nearly departed (Last Chance), to the dearly departed (Ruth), to the dearly parted (Never Be Mine). Lutes renders each text credible and relistenable and should be recognized as on of the country's more distinctive roots voices. The settings are invoked with meticulous reserve resulting in a polished southern roots sound all his own. The arrangements by Lutes and lead guitarist Rob MacDonald come to life in front of a shining rhythm unit of Bob Stagg, R.D. Harris and Tony Cuco (keys, drums and bass) along with vocal support from Heather McLeod, Sas Harris, Linda Benoy and Nanette Workman. The moods are not always introspective, as in the case of the rollicking Middle Ground, but if there's one tune that stands out, it could be the soft rumba setting of Out There. - Dean Cottrill

Reminiscent of John Hiatt's breakthrough 1987 album Bring the Family both vocally and from a production standpoint, Rob Lutes' sophomore release, Middle Ground, is a spare, confident and thoroughly enjoyable recording. What one could not call this album is uplifting. The lyrics deal with death, unrequited love, lost opportunities and "shitty bars." It's classic blues material -- although I can't recall a classic blues lyric about golf caddies. Middle Ground opens with "Jackson," a tribute to former PGA Tour caddies Dolphus "Golfball" Hull and Alfred "Rabbit" Dyer. It's a beautifully rendered track that features a superb guitar break, clever lyrics and a guest appearance by vocalist Nanette Workman. The album then settles into a more contemplative groove as Lutes focuses his attentions on personal experiences including the death of his father on the track "Last Chance." On virtually all 10 tracks on Middle Ground, Lutes' vocals are restrained and late-night lazy, never quite breaking through from a whisper to a wail. And yet the moments when he allows himself to throw some weight behind his vocals provide a wonderful counterpoint to the quiet passion of his delivery on songs like "Nobody Here" and "Ruth." I think one of the few things that could have improved this album would have been to crank things up a bit higher on the track "Uncommon Bond." It's a great blues-rock song with echoes of Eric Clapton. But Lutes needed to cut loose vocally on the back half of this one. As it is the song provides an excellent forum for his band to turn things up a notch and demonstrate their prowess. That having been said, it's a credit to the production smarts of guitarist Rob MacDonald that the players on this album allow Lutes' voice and the lyrics to hold center stage. The songs and the singer are deservedly the stars on Middle Ground. MacDonald also manages a wonderful augmentation of Lutes' gravelly vocal style through the careful use of background vocals. Singers Linda Benoy, Sas Harris and Heather McLeod each provide a velvety smooth surface layer upon which Lutes' vocal texture stands out beautifully in relief. As a Canadian reviewing this release I'd like to echo Rob Lutes' thanks for the support of the Canada Music Fund. This one's a keeper! - Greg Thurlbeck

Reminiscent of John Hiatt's breakthrough 1987 album Bring the Family both vocally and from a production standpoint, Rob Lutes' sophomore release, Middle Ground, is a spare, confident and thoroughly enjoyable recording. What one could not call this album is uplifting. The lyrics deal with death, unrequited love, lost opportunities and "shitty bars." It's classic blues material -- although I can't recall a classic blues lyric about golf caddies. Middle Ground opens with "Jackson," a tribute to former PGA Tour caddies Dolphus "Golfball" Hull and Alfred "Rabbit" Dyer. It's a beautifully rendered track that features a superb guitar break, clever lyrics and a guest appearance by vocalist Nanette Workman. The album then settles into a more contemplative groove as Lutes focuses his attentions on personal experiences including the death of his father on the track "Last Chance." On virtually all 10 tracks on Middle Ground, Lutes' vocals are restrained and late-night lazy, never quite breaking through from a whisper to a wail. And yet the moments when he allows himself to throw some weight behind his vocals provide a wonderful counterpoint to the quiet passion of his delivery on songs like "Nobody Here" and "Ruth." I think one of the few things that could have improved this album would have been to crank things up a bit higher on the track "Uncommon Bond." It's a great blues-rock song with echoes of Eric Clapton. But Lutes needed to cut loose vocally on the back half of this one. As it is the song provides an excellent forum for his band to turn things up a notch and demonstrate their prowess. That having been said, it's a credit to the production smarts of guitarist Rob MacDonald that the players on this album allow Lutes' voice and the lyrics to hold center stage. The songs and the singer are deservedly the stars on Middle Ground. MacDonald also manages a wonderful augmentation of Lutes' gravelly vocal style through the careful use of background vocals. Singers Linda Benoy, Sas Harris and Heather McLeod each provide a velvety smooth surface layer upon which Lutes' vocal texture stands out beautifully in relief. As a Canadian reviewing this release I'd like to echo Rob Lutes' thanks for the support of the Canada Music Fund. This one's a keeper! - Greg Thurlbeck

Rob Lutes is a New Brunswick-born singer-songwriter who has proven to be the best and most pleasant surprise of the last few weeks, and probably for many more to come. His is a name to remember, and pass around. Lutes' universe is an ample one, not just for the complexities of his music but because he sticks to his roots. Listening to him, you realize soon enough that he is at heart a folksinger. Accompanied by a trio filled out at times by Bob Stagg on accordion and Ray Bonneville on harmonica, Lutes sings about working in a mine, the fear another, the letter in the mail, alcohol, the OH Demon Alcohol so dear to Ray Davies, his hometown, the coldest night of the winter...Rob Lutes is a storyteller, a troubador of our so-called modern times. With his lyrics poured into sparklingly pure music, words melted in the clearest of rythyms, Lutes displays colors and talents like the John Hiatt of Bring the Family and Slow Turning. - Serge Truffaut

Rob Lutes is a New Brunswick-born singer-songwriter who has proven to be the best and most pleasant surprise of the last few weeks, and probably for many more to come. His is a name to remember, and pass around. Lutes' universe is an ample one, not just for the complexities of his music but because he sticks to his roots. Listening to him, you realize soon enough that he is at heart a folksinger. Accompanied by a trio filled out at times by Bob Stagg on accordion and Ray Bonneville on harmonica, Lutes sings about working in a mine, the fear another, the letter in the mail, alcohol, the OH Demon Alcohol so dear to Ray Davies, his hometown, the coldest night of the winter...Rob Lutes is a storyteller, a troubador of our so-called modern times. With his lyrics poured into sparklingly pure music, words melted in the clearest of rythyms, Lutes displays colors and talents like the John Hiatt of Bring the Family and Slow Turning. - Serge Truffaut

Review of Rob Lutes Gravity

Like most people, Rob Lutes likely yearns for a life that is unencumbered of modern concerns and the soul sucking reality that is part of the urban existence. However, if he got what he wanted, he probably would lose his muse as Gravity is a collection of audio pics of the proud, the defeated, the hopeful, and the damaged. Lutes, along with bandmates Rob MacDonald, Tony Cuco, and Rob Harris, create a perfect Springsteen-Hiatt influenced blend of melancholic paeans to restlessness, dead end jobs, lost love and the like. On first listen, Lutes' spot on picking and unfiltered whiskey spun gravel voice are striking, but the songs float by one after another without staying power. As the laser moves through for round two, the focus is not the vocals but the lyrics. The harsh reality Lutes creates along with his emotionally intense delivery provide the cut that makes Gravity a winner. Songs like "Eighteen Years" "At the Mercy" and "Coldest Night" grab attention and hold on as you're sucked deeper in to the disc. An amazing listen and worthy check out for all blues/folk/roots fans. - Chris Jacques

Review of Rob Lutes Gravity

Like most people, Rob Lutes likely yearns for a life that is unencumbered of modern concerns and the soul sucking reality that is part of the urban existence. However, if he got what he wanted, he probably would lose his muse as Gravity is a collection of audio pics of the proud, the defeated, the hopeful, and the damaged. Lutes, along with bandmates Rob MacDonald, Tony Cuco, and Rob Harris, create a perfect Springsteen-Hiatt influenced blend of melancholic paeans to restlessness, dead end jobs, lost love and the like. On first listen, Lutes' spot on picking and unfiltered whiskey spun gravel voice are striking, but the songs float by one after another without staying power. As the laser moves through for round two, the focus is not the vocals but the lyrics. The harsh reality Lutes creates along with his emotionally intense delivery provide the cut that makes Gravity a winner. Songs like "Eighteen Years" "At the Mercy" and "Coldest Night" grab attention and hold on as you're sucked deeper in to the disc. An amazing listen and worthy check out for all blues/folk/roots fans. - Chris Jacques

Not a moment too late
Although Rob Lutes took about two years longer than planned to put out his third album, the timing is just right - this strong work has benefited from the living he did in the meantime



Rob Lutes's disc Ride the Shadows draws on both the happiness and sadness of existence.
Photograph by : PIERRE OBENDRAUF, THE GAZETTE


BERNARD PERUSSE, The Gazette
Published: Thursday, December 07, 2006
When Rob Lutes played the Philadelphia Folk Festival more than two years ago, he expected to have his third disc out by Christmas.

Right deadline. Wrong year. Ride the Shadows, the Montreal singer-songwriter's new album, is just out - and it's a strong effort that features reliably lyrical rag 'n' roll fingerpicking ("rag" as in ragtime), a particularly strong vocal performance from Lutes, soul-searching lyrics that seek out both darkness and light and a tender cover of the Otis Redding classic That's How Strong My Love Is. In other words, well worth the wait.

But what happened with the delay?

As it turns out, the usual small stuff: illness, a new job, a complete revisiting of the live performance routine and a serious realignment of life's priorities. Nothing much.

A malaise set in during the early part of 2004. "I was just exhausted, just fried," Lutes said. "I did feel like I needed to take a break."

Part of the recovery process involved taking a day job with the National Film Board as a contract writer and promotion co-ordinator. Lutes already had experience as a writer and editor.

The newfound routine didn't mean music was on the back burner, though. Lutes might have slowed down the performing pace, but he continued to turn up at folk and blues festivals in Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes. His Nashville-based manager, Kari Estrin, was shopping an album - a combination of his first two discs, Gravity and Middle Ground - in the United States.

Lutes and Estrin have since parted ways - "it just didn't work out," Lutes said - but she gave him a piece of advice: keep the live chops up. Lutes decided on a radical approach: a regular Monday night gig at a small club. His weekly date, which went on for two years and ended in October, was at Honey Martin's in N.D.G.

By Lutes's count, 60 people more than fill the place, but there's nothing to tighten up the old live act like the different kinds of crowds and circumstances a musician will face during a residency. Lutes and longtime side guitarist Rob MacDonald got used to just about every blindside. They also managed to try out all sorts of material.

"It became kind of a home base - and we could do anything there," Lutes explained. "We could try any kind of music. I'd pull out Glen Campbell covers and everything from Kenny Rogers to brand new songs that Rob didn't even know yet. But he's such a good player that he could follow along.

"Having a regular outlet for your music and a regular time to go and play it is phenomenal," he said. "It's a great thing. It's like pruning a tree every fall."

Some nights at Honey Martin's were magic, Lutes said. Others weren't. It was a lesson in staying focused, he said. "As a performer, you've just got to ride it out," he said.

The idea of riding out life's hard parts is also at the centre of the new disc's title song. "Although there's a lot of sad stuff on the album, I don't think it's a dire record," Lutes said. "Some days you're going to be happy. Some days you're going to be sad - but the concept is not necessarily to engage in all those things. It's more to just live your life on an even keel."

An intestinal disorder surfaced on vacation in Spain a year ago and landed Lutes at the Montreal General Hospital, adding more impetus for him to step back and consider what truly matters in life. "You want to succeed and you want people to appreciate you," he said. "But you don't need that to be happy. The idea is to try to find some way of being content as you are. I'm wrestling with all that kind of stuff, but I think I'm finding a better balance."

That doesn't mean his productivity will decrease, he said. He's already considering songs for the next disc. In the meantime, however, there's the stripped-down sound of Ride the Shadows. "It's my third CD and I really started out as a folk musician. I fell into the blues thing by accident," Lutes said. "I just felt like I needed to make a record that was acoustic, that was true to that kind of root - and these songs all seemed to fit that model."

With Montreal blues veteran Stephen Barry on bass, Lutes and MacDonald tried the new material out on a Honey Martin's audience last fall. "We had kind of worked through the tunes in a rehearsal setting. This was our first time on the stage," Lutes said. "The second the three of us started playing together, it was silent in there. It was a perfect little moment in time."

Ride the Shadows is available through www.roblutes.com. Rob Lutes and Friends will perform a benefit for - Montreal Gazette

Not a moment too late
Although Rob Lutes took about two years longer than planned to put out his third album, the timing is just right - this strong work has benefited from the living he did in the meantime



Rob Lutes's disc Ride the Shadows draws on both the happiness and sadness of existence.
Photograph by : PIERRE OBENDRAUF, THE GAZETTE


BERNARD PERUSSE, The Gazette
Published: Thursday, December 07, 2006
When Rob Lutes played the Philadelphia Folk Festival more than two years ago, he expected to have his third disc out by Christmas.

Right deadline. Wrong year. Ride the Shadows, the Montreal singer-songwriter's new album, is just out - and it's a strong effort that features reliably lyrical rag 'n' roll fingerpicking ("rag" as in ragtime), a particularly strong vocal performance from Lutes, soul-searching lyrics that seek out both darkness and light and a tender cover of the Otis Redding classic That's How Strong My Love Is. In other words, well worth the wait.

But what happened with the delay?

As it turns out, the usual small stuff: illness, a new job, a complete revisiting of the live performance routine and a serious realignment of life's priorities. Nothing much.

A malaise set in during the early part of 2004. "I was just exhausted, just fried," Lutes said. "I did feel like I needed to take a break."

Part of the recovery process involved taking a day job with the National Film Board as a contract writer and promotion co-ordinator. Lutes already had experience as a writer and editor.

The newfound routine didn't mean music was on the back burner, though. Lutes might have slowed down the performing pace, but he continued to turn up at folk and blues festivals in Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes. His Nashville-based manager, Kari Estrin, was shopping an album - a combination of his first two discs, Gravity and Middle Ground - in the United States.

Lutes and Estrin have since parted ways - "it just didn't work out," Lutes said - but she gave him a piece of advice: keep the live chops up. Lutes decided on a radical approach: a regular Monday night gig at a small club. His weekly date, which went on for two years and ended in October, was at Honey Martin's in N.D.G.

By Lutes's count, 60 people more than fill the place, but there's nothing to tighten up the old live act like the different kinds of crowds and circumstances a musician will face during a residency. Lutes and longtime side guitarist Rob MacDonald got used to just about every blindside. They also managed to try out all sorts of material.

"It became kind of a home base - and we could do anything there," Lutes explained. "We could try any kind of music. I'd pull out Glen Campbell covers and everything from Kenny Rogers to brand new songs that Rob didn't even know yet. But he's such a good player that he could follow along.

"Having a regular outlet for your music and a regular time to go and play it is phenomenal," he said. "It's a great thing. It's like pruning a tree every fall."

Some nights at Honey Martin's were magic, Lutes said. Others weren't. It was a lesson in staying focused, he said. "As a performer, you've just got to ride it out," he said.

The idea of riding out life's hard parts is also at the centre of the new disc's title song. "Although there's a lot of sad stuff on the album, I don't think it's a dire record," Lutes said. "Some days you're going to be happy. Some days you're going to be sad - but the concept is not necessarily to engage in all those things. It's more to just live your life on an even keel."

An intestinal disorder surfaced on vacation in Spain a year ago and landed Lutes at the Montreal General Hospital, adding more impetus for him to step back and consider what truly matters in life. "You want to succeed and you want people to appreciate you," he said. "But you don't need that to be happy. The idea is to try to find some way of being content as you are. I'm wrestling with all that kind of stuff, but I think I'm finding a better balance."

That doesn't mean his productivity will decrease, he said. He's already considering songs for the next disc. In the meantime, however, there's the stripped-down sound of Ride the Shadows. "It's my third CD and I really started out as a folk musician. I fell into the blues thing by accident," Lutes said. "I just felt like I needed to make a record that was acoustic, that was true to that kind of root - and these songs all seemed to fit that model."

With Montreal blues veteran Stephen Barry on bass, Lutes and MacDonald tried the new material out on a Honey Martin's audience last fall. "We had kind of worked through the tunes in a rehearsal setting. This was our first time on the stage," Lutes said. "The second the three of us started playing together, it was silent in there. It was a perfect little moment in time."

Ride the Shadows is available through www.roblutes.com. Rob Lutes and Friends will perform a benefit for - Montreal Gazette

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2006 * TORONTO STAR * G1
What’s on your gift list?

ROOTS
ROB LUTES
Ride the Shadows
(Independent/www.roblutes.com)
PETER BOYD
Beulahland
(Independent/Dipso Phats Records)
Irritating as it might seem, it would be unfair to these two
brilliant and all but unknown artists to end the year without
sending roots music fans on a hunt for their recent respective
contributions to the Canadian folk/blues canon, despite the
fact that they apparently both lack the ego/fiscal wherewithal/
personal management required to get onto the independent
music trade's cluttered radar screen.

Maritime-born, Montreal-based Lutes, who several years
ago abandoned a career as a writer and editor to pursue his
muse, recently released his third CD, a brilliantly understated
gem distinguished by a warm and raspy voice, honest
and eloquent lyrics, and evocative acoustic guitar work. Yet
Ride the Shadows remains unlisted on his own website -
and any other, for that matter - even though it has garnered
a couple of rave notices in major newspapers.

And Toronto-born Boyd, who spent a couple of decades on
the blues/folk music trail before, legend has it, taking a severe
left turn to become a respected sommelier, restaurateur,
wine critic and writer, has no website at all, nothing, in
fact, to promote the release of the stunning and powerful
blues-rooted original songs and astonishing guitar wizardry on
Beulahland, save a couple of breathless reviews in esoteric
blues magazines and a frustratingly mysterious and self-deprecating
biography -- no contact information - that pops up obliquely on numerous sites
when you Google his name.

These albums are among the best of the year's roots/blues
crop, and evidence of the presence among us of two fine,
grounded, mature and distinctive artists who should both be
thriving in the service or the music they so clearly love,
not lost in the great: noise of modern roots music. Track
them down. Buy their albums Buy a ticket to a performance
if, by some remote chance, you see their names. You won't regret it. Greg Quill
- Toronto Star

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2006 * TORONTO STAR * G1
What’s on your gift list?

ROOTS
ROB LUTES
Ride the Shadows
(Independent/www.roblutes.com)
PETER BOYD
Beulahland
(Independent/Dipso Phats Records)
Irritating as it might seem, it would be unfair to these two
brilliant and all but unknown artists to end the year without
sending roots music fans on a hunt for their recent respective
contributions to the Canadian folk/blues canon, despite the
fact that they apparently both lack the ego/fiscal wherewithal/
personal management required to get onto the independent
music trade's cluttered radar screen.

Maritime-born, Montreal-based Lutes, who several years
ago abandoned a career as a writer and editor to pursue his
muse, recently released his third CD, a brilliantly understated
gem distinguished by a warm and raspy voice, honest
and eloquent lyrics, and evocative acoustic guitar work. Yet
Ride the Shadows remains unlisted on his own website -
and any other, for that matter - even though it has garnered
a couple of rave notices in major newspapers.

And Toronto-born Boyd, who spent a couple of decades on
the blues/folk music trail before, legend has it, taking a severe
left turn to become a respected sommelier, restaurateur,
wine critic and writer, has no website at all, nothing, in
fact, to promote the release of the stunning and powerful
blues-rooted original songs and astonishing guitar wizardry on
Beulahland, save a couple of breathless reviews in esoteric
blues magazines and a frustratingly mysterious and self-deprecating
biography -- no contact information - that pops up obliquely on numerous sites
when you Google his name.

These albums are among the best of the year's roots/blues
crop, and evidence of the presence among us of two fine,
grounded, mature and distinctive artists who should both be
thriving in the service or the music they so clearly love,
not lost in the great: noise of modern roots music. Track
them down. Buy their albums Buy a ticket to a performance
if, by some remote chance, you see their names. You won't regret it. Greg Quill
- Toronto Star