With Montrealer Paul DesLauriers, his band is all about the guitar.
And there is plenty of it on the 2013 Maple Blues Awards guitarist of the year’s new self titled CD.
The power trio also including drummer Sam Harrisson and bassist Greg Morency rip through a high energy set of high octane, guitar fueled blues rock.
For extra power, he brings aboard MonkeyJunk harpmeister Steve Marriner to play on two of the immediate highlights “ Going Down Slow” and “ She Should be Mine,“ which launch this CD into the stratosphere with a massive wall of sound of guitar, bass, drums, Deslauriers ’ huge voice and Marriner’s harp. Together it is reminiscent of Pat Travers and even a touch of Rory Gallagher.
Steve Strongman adds extra guitar on “All I Want.”
My favourite track, “ She Should be Mine,” should be the national anthem for the land of the lovelorn for every guy who’s crush is with somebody else.
He brings things back to earth on the power ballad “Baby Come Home” for which DesLauriers shows off his leather lunged pipes.
The hot instrumental “ Green Stripe” has a surf feel to it while “ Blame You” has an unstoppable blues shuffle.
In addition to DesLauriers’ hot originals, the trio also puts their stamp on blues classics including lengthy jams on Buddy Holly’s “ Not Fade Away, blues classic “Baby Come Home” and a mellow seven minute jam on Robert Johnson’s classic “Love In Vain” which features some spooky slide guitar.
He also holds back on the slightly slower “Nobody’s Fault But Mine,” which starts slow while featuring some raunchy slide playing then takes off for the last minute and the guitar solo.
The “Not Fade Away” jam takes a couple of weird twists and turns but brings the CD to a crashing and satisfying close.
Band: The Paul Deslauriers band
Genre: blues/blues rock
