Every time I hear Brian Butler play solo, with his triple threat talents, (great writing, great playing, great voice) I’ve been wanting an album of just that. Unadulterated Brian Butler. And here it is, Butler’s Blues. Just him, playing and singing. It’s the perfect setting for his modern yet deeply rooted in the blues style of songwriting. All those jazz tinged blues riffs, and a beautiful blend of butter and cement mixer voice. This is a man who isn’t afraid of strong women and not afraid to look honestly at the make up of his character. This is a man deeply sexy, yet not sexist. He has songs that draw the listener into a moving story (The News About Billy) songs of environmentalism, (Snow River and River Roads). How does one write a song in that vein without sounding preachy or pedantic? Yet he manages it with writing deeply connected to his adopted city of Seattle. He even has a quirky blues paralleling nuclear disarmament with a relationship. (Atomic Bomb)

He chooses a few covers and they are unique and fresh and well chosen for this album, (Nickel and a Nail, Lead a Horse to Water). The guitar playing throughout is exquisite, always serving the song, always unique and mind bendingly exciting. There are no shortage of white men playing and singing the blues, and that almost makes me sad, worrying that this album might get lost in the mess of them. But this album is very special, and needs to be heard.

Brian Butler has been on the local blues scene for some time and his last CD, Wait All Night, was nominated by the membership of the Washington Blues Society as Best Blues Recording as is Butler’s Blues for this year’s awards. The album features 13 selections including 10 originals. In addition to solo gigs Brian is one of Brian Lee’s Orbiters and playing the new Spencer Jarrett Blues Band. Brian is an exceptional musician playing guitar and blues harp, his singing is top notch and his song crafting is also notable. Brian opens with "Johnny Young", a song about a mandolin player who was a regular on Chicago’s famed Maxwell Street playing with Sonny Boy I and Muddy Waters in the early 40’s and in clubs with Little Walter with few sides of his own and was rediscovered in the 1960’s.

One of the standouts on Butler’s Blues is "Mississippi Woman". This song is the real deal and deserves major radio play. Two of the covers are fairly obscure, "Lead A Horse to Water" by R&B/blues singer Earl Thomas and "Yonder Comes the Blues" by the sparsely recorded folk rocker Fred Neil. The third cover is "A Nickle and A Nail", a song sung by O.V. Wright which Butler does in a beautiful mellow bluesy style. "Oxbow Blues" is a solid finger picking instrumental and "News About Billy" is a heartfelt song of the loss of a friend and life’s lessons. Brian closes out the CD with "Place Pigalle", a song about a Pike Place Market venue steeped in Seattle history that ranges from the Klondike Goldrush to a blues dive in the 70’s affectionately called the "Pig". Ask any musician around town who was active at the time on the blues scene and they will have tales about "Place Pigalle". I give the album my highest recommendation: An instant classic.

In addition to being a superb solo blues guitarist, harmonica player and soulful big-voiced singer, Butler is a commensurate writer and tunesmith. A couple of his originals are among a body of songs that I always want to hear. Butler is also a solid blues backup and lead guitarist. So now (like Steve Beck; see previous issue) he has over the past few years acquired his own studio sound recording equipment and learned the programs and techniques to create his own recording. Of the thirteen songs, all but three are penned by Butler. The first is "Johnny Young ", about a blues mandolin player from the 40s and 50s in Chicago as the electric blues scene developed. He takes this in the harmonica/guitar style closely associated with Broonzy, McGhee and Terry. The sound is clean; singing is direct and clear. The pulse of Butler’s guitar moves as Butler sings of this Chicago bluesman at his greatest and who hit hard times. Guitar solo rolls back and forth with solid hesitations and quick holds that draw the listener in the rhythm. The ballad "Snow River" is a song about a Northwest river starting out in Monroe that now runs in a ditch; you would not recognize her now. His line "twisted the natural thing" as developers take over. Powerful song and one of my favorites. He made the guitar backup a bit more bluesy to fit this collection, but I preferred the more ballad guitar on his previous recording of this song. Butler take the Earl Thomas tune "Lead a Horse to Water" with a jug band and Dan McKinstry-like sound. Words in this loping tune spill out and one is totally taken in, shuffling along to the guitars and touches of harmonica. Superb rhythm. Back to his own song in "Taking the Train." Butler has a run that weaves the rhythm as the blues works almost into minor line. He talks about taking the train to get some money, but all things are going wrong. This is blues with its slightly modern feel. Read more...