CaindawgAt the End of My Chain2001Independent

Caindawg - At the End of My Chain - 2001 - Independent

Written by Warren Dallin

Caindawg resides in British Columbia and may be better known as Rick Adams, an acoustic blues guitar specialist and vocalist. The CD titled at the end of my chain is a well chosen mix of cover songs by older acoustic blues men, spotted with the odd sixties pop song.

It may be best to start by saying that there is always a risk in doing an album of covers. The main one is inevitably being compared to the original version of each song. The dilemma for the artist is whether to do a fun, bang on cover to show respect for the original and gain instant transient fans, or to interpret the original by adding something unique and thus perform an (hopefully) upgraded version.

Caindawg chose to do each of the covers in his own style, with the help of a subdued yet supportive rhythm combo of Todd Sacerty on bass and Billy Hicks (Hicks on the sticks) on percussion. They are a light, fast shuffle rhythm section that let the 'dawg shine. On certain songs some talented guest musicians can be heard contributing some great electric guitar, blues harp and mandolin features.

Overall the choice of covers is refreshing with some more obscure songs like Fred McDowell's Fred Blues, but also includes some frequently covered songs like What I'd Say by Ray Charles and Milkcow's Calf Blues by Robert Johnson.

Some songs work better than others, although overall the album is a good listen. One song that sounds updated, almost in an Eric Clapton "Unplugged" sort of way, is Untrue Blues (original Blind Boy Fuller), which has a mandolin playing with the acoustic guitar. Caindawg's higher pitched yet gritty vocals sound great for this type of country acoustic folk blues. Police Dog Blues (original by Blind Blake) captured my attention due to the slightly distorted harp work by Gerry Barnum over the prominent drum beats and a bit of playful bass runs behind Caindawg's great finger picking guitar playing. Some awesome solo acoustic slide guitar work gets featured on God Moves On the Water (Blind Willie Johnson). The funky version of I'm A Man by Steve Winwood (Spencer Davis Group) is a strange item to include, as it seems out of place, although there is some good electric guitar work on the solo by J.T. Little. Unfortunately, this song really stands out to the listener since the chorus vocals come off out of key.

In the end, the album is successful in displaying some old-time blues you don't hear everyday by a good finger picking and slide guitar player. Caindawg really achieves authenticity because his voice works for the style of music he performs.

The album could have been even better if it focused exclusively on recording just pre/post war acoustic blues songs.

Copyright 2003. Review by Warren Dallin.

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