Paul DeLay is the resident harp man on a label known for having an awesome array of guitarists. He hails from Portland, Oregan and he's one of the hot guys on the circuit right now. deLay has put together a new band for this project. Joining him is Sho Komiya on bass and Kenny Smith on drums. I particularly enjoyed the finger picking style of Rockin' Johnny Burgin on guitar along with Donny Nicholo's rollicking piano.
DeLay's explosive harp and gruff vocals set the tone in the opening track called "Beautiful Bones." Not surprisingly, this is an original deLay composition. In fact all twelve songs are originals. All of deLay's recent recordings are made up of original material. He's one of the more prolific songwriters in music today.
There are a couple of guest musicians on "deLay Does Chicago." On "Come On Home" singer Zora Young sings of the revenge she's planning for her no good man. On the exciting "El Train" special guest guitarist Jimmy Dawkins climbs on board for the ride. There's some fun bantering between the musicians at the start of this tune. In fact Dawkins' presence here helps to justify the title that deLay has chosen for this disc. deLay is not the first bluesman to stick "Chicago" into the title of a record in order to make himself appear more authentic. Harp man Mark Hummel did it last year with "Heart Of Chicago." Maybe Buddy Guy will release a disc someday called "Guy Does Portland!"
One song I really liked is "Ain't Foolin' 'Round" with its ragtime piano intro and wide open swinging sound. Another cool song is "Great Big Kid" with its extended harp solo. I also liked the change of pace with "Only Me" which was the one song that featured Johnny Burgin on vocals. A funky little instrumental called "Oak Street Beach" closes out the set.
In the extensive liner notes deLay talks about discovering the music of the great Chicago harp masters. He's been heavily influenced by the likes of Junior Wells, James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Paul Oscher, and the two Walters. Now it is deLay who is influencing today's generation of young blues harpists. He's always been well known in the northwest United States, now he has become a national act. One other thing, if they ever make a movie about the life and times of Paul deLay, I'll bet the store that John Goodman plays the lead! "deLay Does Chicago" is another winner from the good people at Evidence Music.
***1/2