Candye is not the only surprise gem on this disc. The other one that astounded me was Kevin Coyne. This unassuming white haired guy looking for all the world like a high school English teacher, sings "Whispering Desert" taken from his year 2000 release Room Full Of Fools. On first hearing I was amazed at the poetic flow of his lyrics with their almost stream of conscience feel.
While so many singers feel they have to moan and contort their bodies and voices in order to prove the sincerity or depth of their emotion, Kevin manages to carry the listener deeper into the heart of something on the back of his words. His voice rarely rises above a conversational level, but he is more convincing than most of those who appear to be making twice the effort.
It was no surprise to learn that Mr. Coyne is also a painter and a poet, but what did shock me was the fact that he had completely improvised the lyrics to this and all the other songs on his disc. I would be fascinated to hear the remainder of Room Full Of Fools to hear whether or not he was able to maintain the quality of "Whispering Desert" for a whole disc.
If you ever had wondered where Omar and the Howlers and Canned Heat have gone to record, the answer is Germany. Although a Belgian re-release label, Music Avenue owns their back catalogue, anything that Canned Heat still holds the rights to or is creating new is being released by Ruf. The Song "See These Tears" is from their first disc with Ruf, the 1999 Canned Heat Blues Band while this year saw a compilation disc Instrumental: 1966 –1996 released for the first time.
Omar and the Howler's contribution is from their first Ruf album as well, 2003's Boogie Man. The song "White Crosses" was not at all what I expected, much more subdued and thoughtful then I remember the band being, and an almost Latin undertone to the music. It was quite an interesting departure from the bar band blues that I had expected, and intriguing enough to make me interested in what else they are doing now.
Over on the DVD half of the anthology tracks have been lifted from a variety of concert discs that Ruff has released over the years. For me the highlights were seeing the three young musicians who made up 2006s Blues Caravan, Ian Parker, Aynsley Lister, and Erja Lyytinen playing "All The Time". They are all kick ass guitar players, but they also show a nice vocal touch with some great harmonies at the end of the song. There is also something truly infectious about the fun the three of them are having on stage together which didn't come across as much on the CD they recorded together.
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