Colin James - Hearts On Fire (2015)

A Canadian artist known for his fusion of blues, rock, and swing, Colin James rose to prominence in 1988 when his eponymous debut effort became the fastest-selling album in his country's history. A scintillating blues guitarist with plenty of rock appeal, James notched further hits like the Juno Award-winning "Just Came Back" before kicking off the '90s swing boom with a series of acclaimed albums leading his Little Big Band. Over the subsequent years, his recording output remained steady with a mix of blues, rock, and acoustic releases, and some touring. Since arriving on the international stage, James has played with an array of musical icons ranging from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Keith Richards to Buddy Guy, Albert King, and Little Feat. He experienced a career resurgence when 2016's Blue Highways topped the Roots Music Report's Blues Chart and he followed it with similarly acclaimed albums like 2018's Miles to Go and 2021's Open Road.

Born Colin James Munn in Regina, Saskatchewan, he got his first major break in 1984 when a last-minute cancellation presented him with the opportunity to open for Stevie Ray Vaughan. Vaughan was so impressed with James' performance that he hired him as his opening act for the rest of the tour. Signing with Virgin, he released his self-titled debut in 1988. The album was a breakout success in Canada, making a quick ascent into the mainstream and yielding hit singles like "Voodoo Thing" and "Five Long Years," and earning James a Juno Award for Most Promising Artist. After a tour supporting Richards, he returned in 1990 with Sudden Stop. Recorded in Vancouver and Memphis, the album featured a guest spot from Bonnie Raitt and earned another Juno for its hit single "Just Came Back." Pre-dating the swing dance revival of the mid- to late '90s, James formed the Little Big Band and released a jump blues album in 1993. Two more solo albums followed including 1995's star-studded Bad Habits, which included guests like Mavis Staples, Waddy Wachtel, and Lenny Kravitz. He also explored Delta blues and jug band styles on the acoustic 1997 outing National Steel before finishing off the decade with a second Little Big Band set which won him another Juno, this time for Best Producer.

Throughout the front half of the 2000s, James' star faded somewhat, though he remained prolific with albums like 2003's Traveler and 2005's Limelight. Things began to pick up again in the late 2000s with the release of Colin James & the Little Big Band 3 (2006), which he followed with a 2007 Christmas album. He cruised into the 2010s as a veteran act, offering up his first career anthology Take It from the Top: The Best of Colin James in 2011. Fifteen (2012) and Hearts on Fire (2015) were respectable albums that played to his range, but it was 2016's more blues-driven Blue Highways that landed him on the first blues chart of his career. A ten-week stand atop the Roots Music Report's Blues Chart provided a late career boost and its follow-up, Miles to Go (2019), found some traction in the U.S. on the Billboard Blues chart. Benefitting from the added luster of two consecutive blues successes, James kicked off the next decade with 2021's Open Road.