Arthur James & Northbound - A Guitar Player, A Bassist & A Drummer Walk Into A Studio... (2022)

Arthur James has the old soul of a blues man. Arthur James plays numerous kinds of blues licks while slathering the lyrics of his blues originals with his hearty New England rasp. His recent release of his Arthur James & Northbound album A Guitar Player, A Bassist & A Drummer Walk Into A Studio is a must have for any local area blues fan. It offers 18 remixed and remastered versions of songs from his previous Arthur James album.

Opening instrumental track “Art’s Thang” shows the chemistry Arthur James had with his bassist Gil Rand and whichever drummer he is using from his coterie of skin pounders. Arthur James picks of a piercing lead guitar line, one that moves in artful, skillful directions and smacking as hard as his rhythm section as they punctuate his phrase with tight aplomb.

Another Arthur James instrumental, “Rollin’” finds the New Hampshire legendary blues man paying out another tasty line. Here, Arthur James makes his guitar phrase move around with the nervous energy of fish just reeled out of the stream. Snappy notes force his rhythm section to also hit hard and fast and their participation ups the ante in this wily piece.

Arthur James’s “Blues Blues Blues” finds the guitar man playing a line with a lot of snap, crackle, and pop. His guitar work and his rhythm section keep this one in the pocket, tight, disciplined, and slick, especially when Arthur James picks off a higher line, like his guitar is singing when he plays it rapidly. Arthur James sings this one with his familiar rasp, a bit rough, a bit dark, always loaded with more feeling than even his music conveys.

“Things Ain’t No Better” marches to the beat of its own drum. Arthur James lays out a solid rocking chair blues guitar chord progression. A grueling guitar rings out pure and true, meeting the Arthur James’ vocal rasp, two sounds with musical density, gravitas, especially when they meet. Arthur James also, in this same piece, pays out a rippling guitar phase, one that darts out, doubles back, then springs forward again with the momentum of something wild that just cannot be contained.

“Long Black Road,” off of his album by the same title, takes things down low, slows down, lets Arthur James show how he can sprawl out, his rasp stretching, his guitar playing a handy interval of notes that circle soulfully, his rhythm section keeping it at once soulful and stationary. It’s a deep feeling number.

Arthur James & Northbound do a rockabilly, country two step shuffle combo on “I Get The Blue Every Time I Think About You.” The trio hopscotches through a myriad of tricky twists and turns, the guitar high pitched one moment, thick and crunchy with chords the next. It’s a song chock full of good bits.

Going bumpy, speedy with “That Ain’t Right,” Arthur James & Northbound whip out a lot of fine moments. Arthur James spins his brisk, brittle lead guitar line around several handfuls of good drum fills and some bopping low end notes. It’s as if the guitar bits jump up and down with the rhythm section while simultaneously leading it.

Titled “August 27, 1990,” Arthur James sings and plays an ode to someone he had lost on that date. Arthur James’ dark rasp gets darker here, slight variations in his repetitions keep one glued to see where he goes with this tribute. He presses out some pretty, tender highs, a guitar phrase that sounds like it’s beautifully and mournfully crying its grief.

If, by this point in the album, you like Arthur James’s brisk, freewheeling, high riding blues guitar, you’re gonna love “Ooh Yeah.” It’s a jumping beans scramble to get to the finish line. Arthur James presses out flinty, restless notes that force his rhythm guys to keep up, and thankfully, they do. The breathtaking pace of the guitar notes escaping confinement from the fretboard make this one noteworthy.

Arthur James’s Mississippi Delta blues inspired “Forgotten Youth” moves like gentle tumble weed, easy going, a ball of acoustic slide notes and sturdy vocal rasp. The tone and motion of this tune make the lyrical message of lost time come to a personal, three dimensional life.

“Drownin’ On Dry Land,” title track from that previous Arthur James release, rocking chairs over a knobby groove. Arthur James’ steady vocal assertion keeps the song even as his flinty licks perk with authentic old time tone as they dance around a motivational groove. The chemistry between guitar and rhythm section becomes hypnotic, a repetition of notes that become deeper and pulpier as the song progresses.

Speaking of flinty guitar licks and rocking chair grooves, the shuffle beat to “Things Ain’t No Better” keeps the listener’s head bopping while awaiting the Arthur James guitar break. Here, Arthur James grinds out a soul piercing guitar phrase, one that stir emotions as it grows wider in timbre and expression.

Despite the unwieldy title, “I Get The Blues Every Time I Think About You,” is a busy rockabilly joyride. One can picture Arthur James having the time of his life, singing rapidly into a Shure microphone while letting loose his run of raw, punchy licks. The song builds up from how its drummer keeps spanking it forward with an extra hard fill about three quarters way into each meter.

“I’m Mad” is one of those character songs that can’t be beat. Arthur James penned lyrics capture the wild release of frustration he needs after his woman leaves him. His growling vocal and his whipcord guitar line combine to make this an action packed song. It also highlights how well Arthur James has studied blues idioms, especially 1950s blues, to create this seemingly simple expression while buttressing it with snake bit guitar work.

“Coy Roy,” originally on the Arthur James Long Black Road album, moves to a rapid groove, drum fills that propel this guitarist to whip out speedy licks that move in dizzying spirals. This song shows Arthur James to be the Evil Knievel of blues guitar, reckless pacing that the maestro manages to keep in line with his rhythm section.

“C-Spot” moves to a jazzy groove, a beat that cruises just above mid tempo pace. Over that sublime pacing, Arthur James presses out some of his most tasteful licks. It’s Arthur James’s restraint that powers this one. He keeps his edge and skills just below the surface, allowing himself room to skate around prettily, a line that dances with a heartfelt eloquence.

Arthur James and his boys have fun with an alternate take of “Art’s Thang,” the track which opened this album. It’s more of the same fun with maybe a little more shine in the Arthur James guitar tone. The album closes with “Sigh,” which is simply Arthur James expressing some blues exaltation.

Arthur James has much to be proud of with this remix and remaster of his blues originals from previous albums. Mixed and mastered by Anthony Cimino at Mojo studios, this album gives a fresh, revitalized sound to particularly well crafted blues. With nerve damage making it less likely Arthur James will return to playing his electric guitars, A Guitar Player, A Bassist, & A Drummer Walk Into A Studio is a must have. Throw in bass player Gil Rand and drummers Johann Haas, Peter Johnson, and Anonymous and you have an offering of hot, smoky blues you just can’t ignore. ~Bill Copeland