Shane Dwight: Blues and beyond on 2 new CDs

What with all of our rambling lately about the blues, and what they might and might not be, along comes Northern California native and now Tennessean, Shane Dwight with a couple of examples with which to continue our discussion.

That's right, the man is so full of music that he's releasing two CDs at the same time yesterday). And each one presents a "different" Shane Dwight. There's one who rocks hard with the blues as his background, and there's the other one, sort of a rootsy, alt-blues-country guy with an introspective touch on the lyrics (He's written everything on both CDs).

This double release from the VizzTone Label Group is designed to kick Dwight out of his regional orbit onto a national stage. It sounds like he's ready. Let's look at these one at a time.

First, "Gimme Back My Money." This is the rootsy Dwight, writing thoughtful lyrics, layered in sounds that range from hypnotic rhythms ("Last Call") to tough and bluesy country stuff ("Gimme Back My Money") to sturdy, down and dirty rocking blues ("You're Gonna Want Me") to a scorching slow blues instrumental ("Ode to Albert").Here's a clip of "Gimme Back My Money":

Each track bends its own genre a little, and together they provide a fine outing that doesn't fit neatly into any format. I like the album a lot, with it's fresh writing and blend of styles. It's impressive that he's drawn only on his own talents here, writing, arranging, playing and singing. The band is crisp and tight as well (he's credited with drums and guitar on just about every track).

Now to the second CD, "Plays the Blues." Dwight has put together five studio tracks, and five live cuts, all blues, from crackling shuffles. There are a couple tunes that show up on both CDs, but that's fine, they're both great tunes -- "You're Gonna Want Me" and "Ode to Albert" (this gets a live treatment, and seems to sting just a little harder).

"She's So Sweet" is sweet shuffle with boogie undertones, "Standing" is slow and sexy, and the live "Don't B Flat" swings with a jump blues flavor, and plenty of sax.  "Boogie King" caps this one off with a rocking boogie side.

Once again, Dwight is the creator of all the music and arrangements, and there's enough variety on the album so that you don't get bored with one style or type of blues. Yes, this is a blues album. Contemporary, and at times hard-rocking blues, but the blues. After you've listened to both, you can sort of hears the wheels humming on the musical highway that runs through all of this music. Lots of fun. Here's a sample of "You're Gonna Want Me":

Dwight has been a regional festival fixture on the West Coast. Maybe someone on this side will give him a listen. You could do worse than give either of these CDs, or even both, a spin. Even if you're not a real traditional blues fan.