Colin James has 17 studio albums to his credit, but only one Top 10 hit. As someone for whom songs such as “Five Long Years,” “Why’d You Lie,” and “Voodoo Thing” are essential, I’ve always found the lack of chart success surprising despite the obvious explanation being that there are plenty of Canadian artists that just never struck a chord in America.
I pondered that disconnect while speaking with James about his upcoming show at Buffalo Riverworks, because he said that he doesn’t feel obligated to play certain tracks in the States as he would on his home turf. He’s able to reinvent himself as the bluesman he always wanted to be in front of an audience that may or may not be aware that “Just Came Back” reached Number 7 on the Mainstream Rock Chart back in 1990, so clearly I’ve taken Buffalo’s status as a border town for granted all these years.
In the case of 2021’s “Open Road,” having an audience that isn’t as familiar with his early work as others can be beneficial, because people are able to focus on how fresh and alive those songs are without waiting for the hits to arrive. If scorching solos and silky smooth vocals are your thing, you’ll want to come out to Riverworks on April 22 to hear what he and his band have to offer.
MNOD: Your latest album, “Open Road,” was released in 2021 and has done quite well. Describe your process on that project and how you decided on what covers to include.
James: Well, let me give you a quick overview of my career. I’ve done a bunch of records since debuting in 1988. I started out playing the blues, but, when you get signed to a label like Virgin America or something, they want you to keep churning out the hits. It can be an endless cycle, so you have to try to stay true to your original form. I’ve run the gamut from rock hits to the Little Big Band to everything else, and, in a funny way, it’s taken me my whole life to get back to where I started with the blues. All three records in this trilogy have gotten some nice press and I also toured with Buddy Guy last year, which was a a great time. The upcoming show in Buffalo will be my first time headlining a blues festival in America, so I’m excited for that. I love that Windsor/Buffalo connection. There’s a legend out there that Robert Johnson once played Windsor, as well.
MNOD: “That’s Why I’m Crying” is the track that really hit me upon listening to the album for the first time. What do you think it about that particular song that resonates so deeply?
James: That’s just a slow blues, but I’ve played a ton of slow blues in my life. There’s something special about that song, though I’m not sure what it is. It just turned out really well for a three chord minor blues. It’s a gorgeous song that lent itself really well to this record. I think I first discovered it from the Koko Taylor version.
MNOD: How do you feel that being able to come up as a musician at a time when a lot of the blues legends were still around impacted your trajectory?
James: That’s an interesting question. You have to understand that I’m from Saskatchewan in the middle of Canada, so I consider myself very fortunate to have been around guys like Albert Collins and Stevie Ray Vaughan. I was also privileged to have seen Muddy Waters. I grew up playing traditional Irish music on a mandolin, but became involved with the blues as I got older. Stevie Ray was a guy that had a limitless ability to make a song go higher and I remember a time when I had a leave the room, because I was just having an ‘Oh My God’ moment while he was playing. Seeing him was like a religious experience and I really feel for those people who never had a chance to. Playing guitar today can feel like a competitive sport, but it was never about licks or prowess with him. It was about spirit. He could take eight solos in a row yet still make each one feel fresh. He was so in tune with his instrument that I don’t know if there’s anyone out there today that lives up to that. Right now, there’s no blues rock radio, which is unfortunate. For newer artists putting out blues rock today, where can they really go? We have access to more information and resources than ever before, but I don’t know how much people hold things like that in high regard. If I wanted to hear old blues records when I was younger, I had to go the library, so you really have to think about where the industry is at. iTunes and Spotify really have us by the neck in a lot of ways.
MNOD: Because you’ve had radio hits such as “Voodoo Thing” and “Just Came Back,” does your interest in playing them still exist?
James: I’ve had such a long relationship with the hits that I’ve already gone through various stages of liking them and hating them, but I still feel lucky to have a hit.
MNOD: 1995’s “Bad Habits” has always been one of my favorites from your catalog. What are some elements of that period that you recall fondly?
James: We recorded in Nassau and it was a very pivotal time for me, because everything coming out of Seattle around then killed the blues rock movement. I had a great relationship with Mavis and Yvonne Staples, so I flew them down to the studio. Mavis is just an awesome person and I think the world of her to this day. She sang beautifully on “Freedom.” I had put out the first Little Big Band album in ’93 and from then until “Bad Habits” was kind of a dead time. I had the best experience in Nassau, though, because we had guys like Waddy Wachtel, James “Hutch” Hutchinson, and Bobby King contributing. I also remember that David Lindley and Lenny Kravitz were in the studio. Lenny played clavinet on “Saviour.”
MNOD: When you come to Buffalo, you’ll be sharing the bill with other prominent blues artists. How do you tailor your set given the time constraints of a festival?
James: When I play in Canada, I’ll sometimes play the hits along with good, solid blues, because that’s what audiences expect. In America, however, I won’t always play stuff like “Just Came Back,” “Voodoo Thing,” or “Why’d You Lie,” because sometimes it’s awesome to have a clean slate. Those songs weren’t hits in America, so I can construct the set any way I want to. It’s been fun to reinvent myself as a blues player after years of having the pop element attached.
Colin James will headline the Buffalo Blues & Roots Festival on April 22 at Buffalo Riverworks.
See http://www.buffaloriverworks.com for details.
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