Old blues soul in young blues shoes
Connor Selby – Backstage, Kinross, 6th March 2024
Connor Selby – Backstage, Kinross, 6th March 2024
Young blues troubadour Connor Selby, a player with a deep respect for, and knowledgeable history of, traditional American blues in all its forms (as can be gleaned from his excellent, self-titled second album, which got a major label Deluxe Edition re-release last year) had only just stepped off the touring road in March before getting right back on it.
Immediately after his successful Special Guest slot on the Joanne Shaw Taylor UK tour, (performing in stripped back/ acoustic mode), Selby returned to the road with his full band, featuring Stevie Watts (keys), Sonny Winslow (bass) and Oscar Reynolds (drums), for a number of headline dates through March and April (plus dates in May and June).
Said dates included his first ever headline show in Scotland, at the intimate and welcoming Backstage venue in Kinross (he would play his second Scottish headline date the next night, in Edinburgh).
Opening with lead-off song on the Connor Selby album, 'I Can’t Let you Go' (a slow-paced but purposeful number with a full-bodied, US soul-blues sound), Selby and band settled in to what became an impressive, 90 minute old school blues styled set.
Those in the audience not overly familiar with Connor Selby would have been immediately taken with not just the maturity of performance and quality of song writing, but Selby’s lyric-driven vocal style (another old-school blues trait, where the narrative is as important as the music), confident bari-tenor voice and not one but two joyously expressive solos, all of which belie his mid-twenties age (an old blues soul resides within young Mr Selby, which he takes as the highest compliment).
The slower, organ backed 'I Shouldn’t Care,' one of four bonus tracks on Connor Selby Deluxe Edition, was a perfect showcase for Selby to show he can play the blues while the funkier 'Falling In Love Again' allowed for a change of up-tempo pace, complete with bubbly bass lines from Sonny Winslow, nifty fills from Oscar Reynolds and a great organ solo from Stevie Watts.
'Man I Ought to Be,' a highlight of the Connor Selby album, was also a highlight among many here; its slow country & western meets Nashville ballad arrangement was complemented by lyrical introspection (a Selby trait) about striving to be better.
The song never moves out of first gear, but never has to, such is its slow-blues gravitas.
Immediately after his successful Special Guest slot on the Joanne Shaw Taylor UK tour, (performing in stripped back/ acoustic mode), Selby returned to the road with his full band, featuring Stevie Watts (keys), Sonny Winslow (bass) and Oscar Reynolds (drums), for a number of headline dates through March and April (plus dates in May and June).
Said dates included his first ever headline show in Scotland, at the intimate and welcoming Backstage venue in Kinross (he would play his second Scottish headline date the next night, in Edinburgh).
Opening with lead-off song on the Connor Selby album, 'I Can’t Let you Go' (a slow-paced but purposeful number with a full-bodied, US soul-blues sound), Selby and band settled in to what became an impressive, 90 minute old school blues styled set.
Those in the audience not overly familiar with Connor Selby would have been immediately taken with not just the maturity of performance and quality of song writing, but Selby’s lyric-driven vocal style (another old-school blues trait, where the narrative is as important as the music), confident bari-tenor voice and not one but two joyously expressive solos, all of which belie his mid-twenties age (an old blues soul resides within young Mr Selby, which he takes as the highest compliment).
The slower, organ backed 'I Shouldn’t Care,' one of four bonus tracks on Connor Selby Deluxe Edition, was a perfect showcase for Selby to show he can play the blues while the funkier 'Falling In Love Again' allowed for a change of up-tempo pace, complete with bubbly bass lines from Sonny Winslow, nifty fills from Oscar Reynolds and a great organ solo from Stevie Watts.
'Man I Ought to Be,' a highlight of the Connor Selby album, was also a highlight among many here; its slow country & western meets Nashville ballad arrangement was complemented by lyrical introspection (a Selby trait) about striving to be better.
The song never moves out of first gear, but never has to, such is its slow-blues gravitas.
But it wasn’t all about promoting the current album, as a couple of new songs helped underline (Connor Selby is already looking towards album number three).
Slow blues number 'The Truth Comes Out Eventually' had a delightful, late 50s Ray Charles vibe about it, complemented by a melodically phrased solo from Selby that played lovely counterpoint to his vocal, which lifted above his normal bari-tenor range a couple of times (a sign of how comfortable he is becoming as a singer).
'I’ll Never Learn,' by contrast, had an up-tempo, soul-groove feel that conjured images of a bluesier Bill Withers (no bad thing).
For those that had championed the Connor Selby cause since the get-go, it was good to hear a couple of songs from 2018 debut album Made Up My Mind.
While Selby has grown as a singer, songwriter and player since the debut, it does feature some very strong tracks, and the slow and moodier brace of 'That’s Alright' and 'You Hurt Me' are great fits for where Selby is now as a player, as borne out by the highly emotive solos.
(Both also allowed Stevie Watts to shine on subtle but effective organ and piano backing).
The soul-funk fun of 'Show Me a Sign' was extended from its original Connor Selby studio version to allow each band member to show their chops - a seriously groovin’ organ solo was followed by a funkadelic bass & drum workout from Messrs Winslow & Reynolds before Connor Selby dialled it down for some deftly delivered licks ‘n’ note flicks.
The song then built back up to conclude the main set.
A two-song encore of riffy, rock-blues number 'Emily' and a rootsy, swaying take of 'Crossroads' brought a great blues show to an end.
Connor Selby, three-times-in-a-row winner of Young Artist of the Year at the UK Blues Awards, is an up and coming British blues scene talent that has already untapped some of his potential.
How much potential?
Well, the fact that the major label release for Connor Selby Deluxe Edition mentioned at the top of this review is Provogue Records (part of Mascot Label Group), who have the likes of Joe Bomanassa Beth Hart, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Walter Trout on their books, gives you an idea of how much stock is placed in Connor Selby’s undeniable talents.
That the Kinross crowd, many of whom, as noted earlier, would not have been too familiar with Selby’s previous, gave him a standing ovation as the last notes of 'Crossroads' echoed around the intimate Backstage room, probably says as much, if not more, than the Provogue stamp of approval.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Photo Credit (all images): Chris Griffiths Music Photography
https://www.facebook.com/riffphotosuk
https://www.instagram.com/riffphotosuk (@riffphotosuk)
Upcoming Connor Selby Tour Dates
(Tickets: https://www.connorselby.com/tour )
16th Mar – Basingstoke Blues Club, Basingstoke
12th Apr – The Bear Club, Luton
18th Apr – Teignmouth Jazz & Blues Club, Teignmouth
28th Apr – Glasgow Blues Rhythm & Rock Festival, Oran Mor, Glasgow
3rd May - Joe Joe Jims - Cofton Hackett, Birmingham
4th May - The Old Riverport Jazz & Blues, Saint Ives
19th May - Internationale Blues Festival, Schöppingen, Germany
13th Jun - The Eel Pie Club, Twickenham
14th Jun - West End Centre, Aldershot
22nd Jun - Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham
25th Jun - 100 Club, London
29th Jun - Colne Delta Blues and Americana Club - Brightlingsea
Slow blues number 'The Truth Comes Out Eventually' had a delightful, late 50s Ray Charles vibe about it, complemented by a melodically phrased solo from Selby that played lovely counterpoint to his vocal, which lifted above his normal bari-tenor range a couple of times (a sign of how comfortable he is becoming as a singer).
'I’ll Never Learn,' by contrast, had an up-tempo, soul-groove feel that conjured images of a bluesier Bill Withers (no bad thing).
For those that had championed the Connor Selby cause since the get-go, it was good to hear a couple of songs from 2018 debut album Made Up My Mind.
While Selby has grown as a singer, songwriter and player since the debut, it does feature some very strong tracks, and the slow and moodier brace of 'That’s Alright' and 'You Hurt Me' are great fits for where Selby is now as a player, as borne out by the highly emotive solos.
(Both also allowed Stevie Watts to shine on subtle but effective organ and piano backing).
The soul-funk fun of 'Show Me a Sign' was extended from its original Connor Selby studio version to allow each band member to show their chops - a seriously groovin’ organ solo was followed by a funkadelic bass & drum workout from Messrs Winslow & Reynolds before Connor Selby dialled it down for some deftly delivered licks ‘n’ note flicks.
The song then built back up to conclude the main set.
A two-song encore of riffy, rock-blues number 'Emily' and a rootsy, swaying take of 'Crossroads' brought a great blues show to an end.
Connor Selby, three-times-in-a-row winner of Young Artist of the Year at the UK Blues Awards, is an up and coming British blues scene talent that has already untapped some of his potential.
How much potential?
Well, the fact that the major label release for Connor Selby Deluxe Edition mentioned at the top of this review is Provogue Records (part of Mascot Label Group), who have the likes of Joe Bomanassa Beth Hart, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Walter Trout on their books, gives you an idea of how much stock is placed in Connor Selby’s undeniable talents.
That the Kinross crowd, many of whom, as noted earlier, would not have been too familiar with Selby’s previous, gave him a standing ovation as the last notes of 'Crossroads' echoed around the intimate Backstage room, probably says as much, if not more, than the Provogue stamp of approval.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Photo Credit (all images): Chris Griffiths Music Photography
https://www.facebook.com/riffphotosuk
https://www.instagram.com/riffphotosuk (@riffphotosuk)
Upcoming Connor Selby Tour Dates
(Tickets: https://www.connorselby.com/tour )
16th Mar – Basingstoke Blues Club, Basingstoke
12th Apr – The Bear Club, Luton
18th Apr – Teignmouth Jazz & Blues Club, Teignmouth
28th Apr – Glasgow Blues Rhythm & Rock Festival, Oran Mor, Glasgow
3rd May - Joe Joe Jims - Cofton Hackett, Birmingham
4th May - The Old Riverport Jazz & Blues, Saint Ives
19th May - Internationale Blues Festival, Schöppingen, Germany
13th Jun - The Eel Pie Club, Twickenham
14th Jun - West End Centre, Aldershot
22nd Jun - Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham
25th Jun - 100 Club, London
29th Jun - Colne Delta Blues and Americana Club - Brightlingsea