Mike Elliott is keeping the blues alive and vibrant on his latest album Let You Go

I’ve got something for blues fans this week on Jason’s Jukebox. Since moving back to my hometown, Kitchener, ON a few years ago, it’s been great to reconnect with some old friends, including blues scene stalwart Mike Elliott. Although he largely adheres to the early electric sounds established in Chicago and Memphis, his all-original body of work dating back to his former band Daddy Long Legs in the early 2000s, continues to inject some much-needed fresh energy into the artform.

Mike continues to carve his own path on his latest album Let You Go, produced by Juno-winner Steve Marriner and engineered by Blue Rodeo’s Jimmy Bowskill, who both also contribute musically. As Mike told Blues.gr last year, “I try to make music about my current situation, and steer away from music cliches, especially blues ones. I only sing and write songs about things that I can identify with. In that way, I feel that I’m more convincing and believable when I perform the songs. I don’t sing about ‘waiting at the station’ etc. People would see through that, and recognize it as disingenuous. If I sing about my condition, and the human condition it will always be ‘present,’ regardless of what generation is listening.”

Whether you’re a hard core blues fan or a casual listener, Mike Elliott’s Let You Go is a record that’s sure to get your attention, while offering assurance that there are still artists in Canada taking the genre in new directions. Let You Go can be purchased from Busted Flat Records, or from Bandcamp.

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