Nood Records artist: John Campbelljohn - Chin Up - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Chin Up, from John Campbelljohn and it's a fusion of country and blues. Opening with swing boogie, The Mumble Boogie, Campbelljohn steps right up with his notorious slide guitar and steps on the gas. Backed by Neil Robertson on drums and Ronald Hynes on bass this track cooks. I Got It All brings it down a few notches and with more of a country 2 step feel. Smooth and easy is how he handles the guitar work on this track with clever vocals and a radio melody. Meet My Maker is a stripped down blues number with guitar harmonics and rudimentary drums. A cool slide solo on this track sweetens the pot. I really like the different feel of The Poor Man Plays. It has a swampy funk and backing vocals by Martha Mae Campbell, Megan Baxendale and Stan Carew. Very cool! Castaway is a blues rocker with a simple repetitive riff. Driving bass line from Hynes and a wide open slide solo cap this track. Attitude has some of the coolest slide work on the release over a simple spoken lyric and a basic rhythm backing. Nice! Ballad How Stupid Is That is a catchy melody with a hook. Another track that could easily gather radio followers, this track bears slick acoustic resonator slide work and cool piano riffs from Robert Campbell. Another blues rocker with a country twist is Stop Making Excuses. Campbelljohn delivers his vocals with attitude and knows how to back his words with stinger riffs. Articulate blues riffs with country sting permeate this track. Sally In The Alley has an attitude all it's own with a driving swagger and pinched harmonic guitar riffs trimming along the way. One of my favorites on the release. Fantistico Supremo is a rocker with a zydeco twist for lack of a better description. Free wheelin' slide guitar (lap steel) work on this track gives it a country feel. Good Morning Mr. Blue Sky also has a New Orleans flavor and a country basis featuring backing vocals by Martha and Megan. Campbelljohn wraps the release with simple folk track, She's Gone, features John on vocal, backed by Martha and megan and light acoustic slide. A nice conclusion to a solid release.

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Master slide guitarist and songwriter John Campbelljohn releases 'Chin Up'

Release date: March 10, 2015

Multiple award winning East Coast blues guitarist John Campbelljohn is set to release his 12th album, titled Chin Up on March 10, 2015.   A master slide guitarist and songwriter, Campbelljohn hails from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and over the course of his four decade-long career has won or been nominated for countless music awards including Maple Blues Awards, East Coast Music Awards, Real Blues Awards, Music Nova Scotia Entertainer Of The Year, Blues Recording Of The Year & Musician Of The Year.    His newest release, Chin Up features 12 original tracks covering a myriad of topics and sub-genres all highlighting Campbelljohn’s prowess as a guitarist and vocalist.  From the up-beat opening number “The Mumble Boogie” the progressive blues sounds of “Meet My Maker”, the rocking blues track “Castaway”, and the folk blues based “How Stupid Is That”, Cambelljohn proves with each song why Blues Revue Magazine deemed him a “guitar-god-in-the-making”.   During his career John Cambelljohn has been featured on recordings and live shows that include names like Sting, Joni Mitchell, Emmy Lou Harris, Leonard Cohen, Joe Ely, Willie Nelson, Robben Ford & Alvin Lee (Ten Years After) as well as TV productions by Sony Music Entertainment. Rich vocals and distinctive slide guitar playing has made him a favourite at music festivals in eastern Canada & Europe.   John Campbelljohn’s sophisticated and progressive approach to song writing gives him a distinctive edge, mixing rock, blues, reggae, Celtic & country into his signature style. The result is a sound that can pummel the audience into submission one moment, while captivating them with its subtlety the next.       www.campbelljohn.ca   @j _cambelljohn     /john.campbelljohn.7 Track List: 1. The Mumble Boogie - 3:04 2. I Got It All - 3:18 3. Meet My Maker - 3:51 4. The Poor Man Pays  - 4:15 5. Castaway - 2:26 6. Attitude - 2:32 7. How Stupid Is That  - 3:34 8. Stop Making Excuses  - 4:40 9. Sally In The Alley - 3:50 10. Fantastico Supremo - 3:57 11. Good Morning Mr. Blue Sky - 3:19 12. She’s Gone - 3:49   "The standard of John Campbelljohn's slide guitar playing is raised to a new record high." - Rolling Stone, Germany   "It is difficult to find a good slide guitarist, who stands out from the crowd - one who manages to do so is Nova Scotian John Campbelljohn." - Blues Bytes, USA   "John's raw singing and his truly convincing guitar, particularly the slide passages, are a feast for the ears, have real class." - Blues News Magazine, Germany