Barry's Views

Review:

Few musical experiences are as relaxing to listen to as the easy-paced pre-war acoustic blues that Chicago’s Dan Phelps played us tonight. He is a relaxed performer with a back-porch intimacy that draws you in and invites you to put your feet up in the style of his mentor Catfish Keith or ragtime specialist Paul Geremia, whose gruff vocal style reminds me of Dan’s. Alternating between fingerpicking a Spanish guitar and bottleneck slide on a Resonator, he played numbers from his new CD ‘Matchbox Blues’ and lots more besides in two generous sets. Loosening up with Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson numbers, he got into his stride with a stomping version of the Son House ‘Dead Letter Blues’ followed by some delicate Reverend Gary Davies ragtime and Big Bill’s ‘Key to the Highway’ played with an almost Jansch-style sweetness. Louis Jordan’s ‘Early in the Morning’ and a powerful slow blues ‘Coming My Way’ worked well, though a low-key ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’ had the style but not the bite of Mississippi Fred McDowall. The material around the middle section of the show was not particularly distinctive or varied, though the guitar work was always interesting and I recall a lively Blind Willie McTell number and an exhilarating ‘Kansas City’. I don’t think his voice really suited the crooning Hoagy Carmichael ‘Rocking Chair’ but the last 5 or 6 numbers provided a storming climax with a hollering field blues, a fleet-fingered Robert Johnson ‘Red Hot’ and – best of the night – some rock’n’roll Lightnin’ Hopkins style. I also liked his unusually delicate ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ and an appealing stopped-rhythm ‘Dust My Broom’.

It was interesting afterwards to talk to Dan who was modest enough to describe some of his material as ‘work in progress’, though overall this was an impressive performance from a dedicated and fast developing player who will be well worth looking out for in future.

Dave Kingsbury