Blues Bytes (Phoenix Blues Society)

 Blue Moon Marquee is a Gypsy Blues duo (A.W. Cardinal – vocals/guitar, Jasmine Colette – bass/vocals) from Vancouver.  On their latest album, Bare Knuckles and Brawn (Blue Moon Marquee Music), the duo expands into a larger ensemble, adding guests Darcy Phillips (piano/organ), Gerry Cook (sax/clarinet), Jimmy “Hollywood” Badger (drums), Jack Garton (trumpet), and guitarist Paul Pigat.  Cardinal describes their sound as a mixture of “blues and jazz, western swing and New Orleans,” and that description aptly describes the eleven original tracks presented here.

The album opens with the Latin-flavored “Big Black Mamba,” a wry look at the fuel that drives the world’s economy, and then moves to the stylish swing track “Smoke Rings For My Rider” and “Fever Flickering Flame,” which showcases the lively rhythm section. Cardinal’s edgy vocals are featured on the first three tracks, but Colette’s sultry vocals caress the noir-ish slow burner “Hard Times Hit Parade” before Cardinal returns for the gritty “As I Lay Dying.”  

The lively “High Noon” salutes the Oglala Lakota holy man Black Elk, and Pigat guests on guitar for the jaunty “The Red Devil Himself.”  “Big Smoke” is a straight blues tune about the ever-changing weather with nice blues guitar work from Cardinal, while the jazzy “52nd Street Strut,” with vocals from Colette, pays tribute to Billie Holiday.  “Wayward” is a solid blues ballad that segues nicely into the closer, “Lost And Wild,” a wistful ballad that shows the non-gravel side of Cardinal’s vocal quite well.

Cardinal and Colette’s vocals complement each other perfectly, and the duo’s songwriting shows a fresh approach to the blues, addressing current issues.  The additional musicians add much to the proceedings as well.  With Bare Knuckles and Brawn, Blue Moon Marquee takes traditional styles of music and updates them most effectively. – Graham Clarke