Keith Glass is ready to roll for the Night Before Christmas 2008 food bank fundraising dance.
Keith Glass has been on the Canadian music scene for the past couple decades, a founding member of award-winning group Prairie Oyster, and in recent years also dabbling in ‘side bands’, The Twisters and Main Squeeze. Through it all Keith Glass has been a guitar player (Canada’s reigning Guitar Player Of the Year), a songwriter, and a vocalist…and he makes use of all the talents on Straight Ahead, his first solo disc.
Vocally, Keith Glass struts his stuff here in a melting pot of musical styles, successfully blending some blues, bluegrass and country sounds, with touches of jazz, Cajun and rockabily…it all comes together in the mix, and you come away knowing that you’ve just been treated to one of the most exciting and innovative records in some time.
There’s a bunch of high spots. Blue Blue Blue is a bluegrass flavoured tune that simply begs for repeated listens; Louisiana Rain is a country / rockabilly item that is equally infectious to the ears; while It Happens combines a jazz / Tex Mex feel to great effect. On One Kiss there’s a Raul Malo & The Mavericks influence and Watch Your Step gives hint of some Jim Cuddy & Blue Rodeo (obviously Glass’ musical tastes were not limited to Prairie Oyster discs).
Other winners here come in the mellow-toned title track Straight Ahead, and the Cajun/country Tossin’ And Turning is a pure treat. On Just Fine, Keith Glass artfully croons away a-la Bennett; and the whole joint starts to ramble with the blues/rocker Come On Down, this one equal to the country blues currently being offered up by the likes of Delbert McClinton and LeeRoy Parnell.
Keith Glass wrote all of the songs here, not surprising since he was a regular contributor to the Prairie Oyster songbook; including hits like She Won’t Be Lonely Long, One Of Those Nights, Louisiette, Don’t Cry Little Angel, The Last Time I’ll Feel Blue and Blue Melody which he also features here on this solo recording.
The Keith Glass talent pool seems endless and he not only fills Straight Ahead with his versatile guitar stylings, but also adds his own mandolin and bass parts and even chips in on drums and percussion tracks. He supports his work here with a strong contingent of musicians, most of which have been imported from his “other” groups. The album was produced by Glass and recorded at Audio Valley Workshop in his hometown of Perth, Ontario.
