Downhome and uptown, with excellent original songs
author: Pacific Blues Recording
BC Canada continues to simmer and boil with stellar blues acts, and The Blue Voodoo is another addition to our 'Canadian content' on the website.
'Back to the Shack' is the third chapter of their style of blues, and it's broad and as varied in styles as you might want on one disc. Downhome and uptown, with excellent original songs and a host of guest musicians, this one requires more than one listening to take it all in.
The third CD from Blue Voodoo is varied in styles and moods, but original in its blues roots. The band has received nominations from the Maple Awards and WMCA for their past works, this one should garner them even more.
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Ted Tosoff and Rick Dalgarno are a tag team that other bands dream about.
author: Maple Blues Magazine
Blue Voodoo /Back To The Shack/ Blue Voodoo
This BC band is creating some buzz and from listening to this breakthrough third CD, it’s not hard to understand why. Ted Tosoff and Rick Dalgarno are a tag team that other bands dream about. They sing and play guitar very well, although Tosoff is the better singer and more distinctive, with a fine gravely voice (that reminds me of John Kay of Steppenwolf) but Dalgrano is no slouch either. Dalgrano is the better guitarist. They sing in unison or trade lines on virtually every song.
Their bandmates contribute enormously: Kelly Stodola on percussion and Gerry Berg on bass. Stodola’s credit might be indicative of the fact that he’s a little overpowering on the drum kit on occasion. Fortunately he’s very good. Byron Tosoff helps out on keyboards throughout, with Dave Hoerl of The Twisters on occasional harp. Strings and horns are added, effectively, to a delightful selection of original songs. These are all, you guessed it, by Dalgarno/Tosoff, and I hope they kept ownership of them, they’re that good.
They are all bluesy and some are just excellent blues. “Suitcase Blues”, “Monday Morning Blues” and especially “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” are among the best I’ve heard this year. They also have a sense of humour: “Mojo Lovin’ Man” strings together lines from Muddy Waters songs to the tune of “I Can’t Be Satisfied” and it’ll keep a smile on your face.
The opening song is called “Somewhere Else Instead” but they sing “I should have been somewhere else but I ended up here instead’, a clever device. There are other examples too. Go to www.thebluevoodoo.com and get yours.
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Signature tight harmonies, great instrumentation, and clever original tunes
author: Music City Blues Magazine
One of our favorite bands from north of the border, Canada's The Blue Voodoo, are back with a solid slab of irresistible party blues with the release of "Back To The Shack." It's a cool amalgam of blues, roots-rock, and a little bit o'soul in the mix. These guys have a unique sound forged from playing together for quite some time, and writing all their own material. They consist of Ted Tosoff on guitar and vocals, brother Bryon on keys, Rick Dalgarno on slide, dobro, and vocals, Kelly Stodola on drums, Gerry Berg on bass, Dave Hoerl on harp, and horns courtesy of Paul Wainwright. Check out the rockabilly-ish tale we can all relate to, those "Monday Morning Blues." "Suitcase Blues" is a lowdown slice of life concerning a lover who's leaving, with a really cool slide break and a vocal reminiscent of vintage Johnny Winter. "Somewhere Else Instead" is driven by the funky horn section, giving it an old-school Stax feel. We had two favorites, too. More great slide work and solid harp drives the story of a man who's been away from the comforts of home just a wee bit too long in "Mojo Lovin' Man." And, there's a "Black Moon Over Mississippi," and anyone caught "at the crossroads" can choose to "live in the sunshine" or make the same deal that Robert Johnson made....
Signature tight harmonies, great instrumentation, and clever original tunes are the trademarks of The Blue Voodoo. Fans, "Back To The Shack" is guaranteed to satisfy your "blues Jones!!" Until next time....Sheryl and Don Crow
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The Blue VooDoo...These guys are really an adventurous melodic ....band
author: www.Blues Critic.com
The leadoff track, "Somewhere Else Again", also has shades of the Fab Four with brass, organ and a Mott & The Hoople (Ian Hunter)-inspired vocal.Bluesy numbers you have the Swampy "Black Moon", steamrollin' "Monday Morning Blues", derivative "Mojo Lovin' Man" and the more Downhome "Suitcase Blues". The track that jumped up the highest is a gorgeous acoustic Rock ballad called "Reason Why". Lead singer and guitarist Rick Dalgarno affected vocal, the Beatlesque bridge and a seamless melody make this the song Soul Asylum needed before fading into memory."
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