Lyle Odjick & The Northern Steam

Through the Rain

Tone King

Here’s a new blues artist from the Great White North. Lyle Odjick hails from the Algonquin reservation of Kitigan Zibi, QC, now based in Ottawa, ON. As you might guess, he went from living in a small town with little exposure to blues or live music and is the living epitome of a self-taught, self-made bluesman, making his debut after honing his skills and forging the sound of his band, The Northern Steam, for years. Thus, the album title. Theirs is a blues rock approach with rather standard blues structures across mostly original material with two blues standards, “Leaving Trunk,” popularized by Taj Mahal and “Rock This House” by Jimmy Rogers. The band is now a hot act on the live blues club and festival scene in Ottawa. While theirs is not groundbreaking stuff, it is power packed.

The Northern Steam’s is Ben Griggs on rhythm and lead guitar, Fred Sebastian on drums and Sean McGee on keys / organ. Guest session players include Mike Turenne on bass, Jason Fryer on lead guitar, Tanya Paulin on background vocals for “Rock This House” and award-winning Tony D (MonkeyJunk) on lead guitar duties. Lyle Odjick sings all leads and plays harp throughout as well as rhythm guitar on “Through The Rain”, “Bad For You” and “Devil Man’s Dues.”

Odjick goes the way of many harmonicists by kicking the album off with the harmonica driven instrumental, “Misery Train,” expertly mimicking train sounds on his blues harp. Twelve bar Chicago blues is at play in “Cut Me Loose” while the reading of “Leaving Trunk” stays relatively faithful to Taj’s version, without quite as much punch. Odjick and company show they can play in the slow, smoldering blues style, with Sean McGee’s piano the focus of the extended “I Wanna Hold You,” the piano and Odjick’s vocal slightly evoking Mose Allison before the guitars light it up.  Quickly, they rev it up for the burning instrumental “Harpin’ and Howlin’.”

“Bad For You” carries that unmistakable Canned Heat boogie sound with tasty lead from guest Tony D while “Devil Man’s Blues” has the stomping style of North Mississippi Hill Country. “Broken Man” has a spare, haunting sound with Odjick singing convincingly in autobiographical fashion with standard blues phrases such as “worries and troubles, you know I’ve had my share.” Tony D’s guitar break is again on the mark with feeling and just the right notes that Odjick answers with his own impassioned turn on harp. The title track kicks up a storm, replete with ferocious guitar, organ and blues harp.  Having demonstrated a versatility across a few styles, it only seems right to go out with a standard, “Rock This House,” which they indeed do.

So, although it has taken years to get here Odjick and The Northern Steam have clearly arrived. Let’s keep an eye on them.

• Jim Hynes

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