Brandon Isaak

Brandon Isaak is a roots-based Canadian artist with some strong things to say, and an old school blues way of saying it, floating from a country blues, “Mississippi Sheiks” style, to Gospel, Piedmont and beyond. His latest album bluesman‘s Plea consists of 14 original tracks. Before this album landed in our inbox, we were unfamiliar with Isaak. The initial listen to the album, however, was a pleasing, entertaining, and memorable experience.

Plea kicks off with some finger picking Delta Blues on the title track. Brandon is a skilled songwriter, fitting just the right amount of words and all-important spacing into each track, letting the instruments do the talking when necessary. A catchy, repetitive track, “You Gotta Pray” is a simple joy. “Take My Message” has a traditional Southern Gospel feel, complete with a choir on the chorus. The track would be fully at home nestled in between “Old Time Religion” and “Will the Circle Remain Unbroken”.

Overall, Bluesman’s Plea is an album that shows off a range of traditionally pre-war styles with skilled & interesting lyrics. Fans of the Mississippi Sheiks or the contemporary one-man-band master Ben Prestage will certainly find enjoyment in this album. It is hard to get a handle on Brandon’s voice — occasionally smooth, occasionally twangy, occasionally rough. There is the occasional out-of-place track such as “A Little Wine”, and Isaak occasionally relies a little heavily on samples — though with the wide ability he obviously has, he certainly doesn’t need to. Ultimately, the bulk of the album is faithfully steeped in the traditional style that is simply a joy to experience.

BY MATT MARSHALL / AMERICAN BLUES SCENE

The notion of an intinerant bluesman, guitar slung across his back as he travels dusty roads and plays for his supper, is quaintly out-of-date. Yet Bluesman’s Plea, the first solo outing from Brandon Isaak, frequently conjures just such an image.

Isaak, usually found fronting Vancouver-based jump-blues band The Twisters, is largely on his own with Bluesman’s Plea, and instrumentation is primarily acoustic. There’s nothing quaint or dated about Isaak’s music, though. An all-original collection (eleven songs, with three ‘bonus’ cuts), there are enough ‘modern’ touches, courtesy of producer, engineer, drummer (oh, and younger brother, too) Chris Isaak, to keep this from a stroll down memory lane.

The title track kicks things off, with Isaak’s acoustic guitar, shimmery slide, and faint foot-stomps giving it a classic pre-war sound that seems snatched from the dustbin of history. But Isaak quickly picks up the pace with You Gotta Pray, contributing bass as well as chiming guitars to a tune with an obvious gospel pedigree and a jaunty groove, proving he’s equally adept on either side of the sacred/profane divide. There are hints of country, too, and traces of ragtime here and there. Yet while Isaak borrows a bit for his song structures (a few songs sound vaguely familiar, notably Ain’t No Pleasin’ You, reminiscent of Just Because, a once-upon-a-time hit for Elvis), they’re all, as the liner notes state, “true stories about love, life, and death.”

Chris’ production is most evident on three tracks that feature ‘found sound.’ Hard Workin’ Woman begins with a voice-over recording of airplane boarding instructions, and quickly becomes a lament for the titular hard-working woman whose business travels keep her away from home more than Isaak would like. Take My Message includes a brief snippet of an old-time, fire-and-brimstone sermon, while A Little Wine includes with muffled news reports and moody background effects that lend the tune an eery, vaguely claustrophobic air – it’s unsettling and arguably a bit out of place on the set list, but as a cautionary tale – how quickly ‘a little wine’ becomes too much wine – it works just fine.

For the most part, though, the feel is fairly sunny. Chris Isaak’s drums are unobtrusive in the extreme, adding a minimal bit of rhythmic drive while never drawing attention away from Brandon’s fleet and agile picking. And the elder Isaak proves a fine singer indeed, with just a hint of a growl on occasion that adds a welcome touch of grit. He also adds harmonica to a track, though it’s pretty rudimentary and primarily for effect.

Above all, Isaak comes accross as relaxed and thoroughly comfortable – these are, after all, his songs, and he inhabits them as though they’re simply a part of his DNA. His delivery is effortlessly honest and candidly intimate, the easy-going sound of an old friend singing songs simply because they satisfy his own soul.

The results make for riveting listening. This is good stuff …

-John Taylor

This is a solo outing by the Twisters’ guitarist/vocalist, who now bills himself as Yukon Slim. And it is a solo outing, with only his brother Chris helping out on drums, when he’s not running the recording console in his studio in Whitehorse. It is not, however, a solo guitar d - Various

Brandon Isaak is a roots-based Canadian artist with some strong things to say, and an old school blues way of saying it, floating from a country blues, “Mississippi Sheiks” style, to Gospel, Piedmont and beyond. His latest album bluesman‘s Plea consists of 14 original tracks. Before this album landed in our inbox, we were unfamiliar with Isaak. The initial listen to the album, however, was a pleasing, entertaining, and memorable experience.

Plea kicks off with some finger picking Delta Blues on the title track. Brandon is a skilled songwriter, fitting just the right amount of words and all-important spacing into each track, letting the instruments do the talking when necessary. A catchy, repetitive track, “You Gotta Pray” is a simple joy. “Take My Message” has a traditional Southern Gospel feel, complete with a choir on the chorus. The track would be fully at home nestled in between “Old Time Religion” and “Will the Circle Remain Unbroken”.

Overall, Bluesman’s Plea is an album that shows off a range of traditionally pre-war styles with skilled & interesting lyrics. Fans of the Mississippi Sheiks or the contemporary one-man-band master Ben Prestage will certainly find enjoyment in this album. It is hard to get a handle on Brandon’s voice — occasionally smooth, occasionally twangy, occasionally rough. There is the occasional out-of-place track such as “A Little Wine”, and Isaak occasionally relies a little heavily on samples — though with the wide ability he obviously has, he certainly doesn’t need to. Ultimately, the bulk of the album is faithfully steeped in the traditional style that is simply a joy to experience.

BY MATT MARSHALL / AMERICAN BLUES SCENE

The notion of an intinerant bluesman, guitar slung across his back as he travels dusty roads and plays for his supper, is quaintly out-of-date. Yet Bluesman’s Plea, the first solo outing from Brandon Isaak, frequently conjures just such an image.

Isaak, usually found fronting Vancouver-based jump-blues band The Twisters, is largely on his own with Bluesman’s Plea, and instrumentation is primarily acoustic. There’s nothing quaint or dated about Isaak’s music, though. An all-original collection (eleven songs, with three ‘bonus’ cuts), there are enough ‘modern’ touches, courtesy of producer, engineer, drummer (oh, and younger brother, too) Chris Isaak, to keep this from a stroll down memory lane.

The title track kicks things off, with Isaak’s acoustic guitar, shimmery slide, and faint foot-stomps giving it a classic pre-war sound that seems snatched from the dustbin of history. But Isaak quickly picks up the pace with You Gotta Pray, contributing bass as well as chiming guitars to a tune with an obvious gospel pedigree and a jaunty groove, proving he’s equally adept on either side of the sacred/profane divide. There are hints of country, too, and traces of ragtime here and there. Yet while Isaak borrows a bit for his song structures (a few songs sound vaguely familiar, notably Ain’t No Pleasin’ You, reminiscent of Just Because, a once-upon-a-time hit for Elvis), they’re all, as the liner notes state, “true stories about love, life, and death.”

Chris’ production is most evident on three tracks that feature ‘found sound.’ Hard Workin’ Woman begins with a voice-over recording of airplane boarding instructions, and quickly becomes a lament for the titular hard-working woman whose business travels keep her away from home more than Isaak would like. Take My Message includes a brief snippet of an old-time, fire-and-brimstone sermon, while A Little Wine includes with muffled news reports and moody background effects that lend the tune an eery, vaguely claustrophobic air – it’s unsettling and arguably a bit out of place on the set list, but as a cautionary tale – how quickly ‘a little wine’ becomes too much wine – it works just fine.

For the most part, though, the feel is fairly sunny. Chris Isaak’s drums are unobtrusive in the extreme, adding a minimal bit of rhythmic drive while never drawing attention away from Brandon’s fleet and agile picking. And the elder Isaak proves a fine singer indeed, with just a hint of a growl on occasion that adds a welcome touch of grit. He also adds harmonica to a track, though it’s pretty rudimentary and primarily for effect.

Above all, Isaak comes accross as relaxed and thoroughly comfortable – these are, after all, his songs, and he inhabits them as though they’re simply a part of his DNA. His delivery is effortlessly honest and candidly intimate, the easy-going sound of an old friend singing songs simply because they satisfy his own soul.

The results make for riveting listening. This is good stuff …

-John Taylor

This is a solo outing by the Twisters’ guitarist/vocalist, who now bills himself as Yukon Slim. And it is a solo outing, with only his brother Chris helping out on drums, when he’s not running the recording console in his studio in Whitehorse. It is not, however, a solo guitar d - Various