The second album produced by the Tone Dogs and engineer Drew Canulette, recorded between tours in 1990 at Dogfish Studios, Newberg, Oregon. Klezzy, Tumbling and Spanish Eyes were recorded live to digital, all other songs to 24-track with fancy automated system.

Mike Goudreau presents his 15th album, "Time For Messin' Around", comprising 11 songs with 8 new compositions and 3 covers from the Eastern Townships blues and jazzman. Says Goudreau: "We've got something here that might surprise blues fans old and new!"

For the occasion, Goudreau is accompanied by long-time cronies Jonathan-Guillaume Boudreau on bass, Jean-François Bégin on drums, and the saxophonist David Élias on one song. Also appearing as special guest is Pascal "Per'' Veillette, a very unique and talented harmonicist who brings a particular exotic flair with his participation on two songs.

For "Time For Messin' Around", Goudreau goes back to the "roots'' approach as he did on his 2006 album "The Grass Ain't Greener".The instrumentation is stripped down to the basic guitar, bass and drums on most tracks for a grittier sound, and most of the basic tracks were recorded live in the studio.

This is a "party" vibe album, with the first track that sets the tone immediately, right on to the last one. A few funk rhythms, Texas shuffle, country blues, blues rock, Southern rock vibes that'll make you want to dance your blues away! Also a sizzling authentic and soulful slow blues sung "en Français", which has been one of Mike's trademarks for the past 20 years and counting.

Jeremiah Lawson writes:

"Contrapuntal cycles for the guitar (whether solo or duet) are rare but not unheard of. Castelnuovo-Tedesco wrote 24 preludes and fugues for guitar duet in the 1960s. Igor Rekhin composed a solo cycle in the later 1980s. Paradoxically it seems only in the 21st century that we've had guitarists taking up the challenge of writing polyphonic cycles but better late than never.

We guitarists too often assume that B flat minor is too unwieldy a key to write in and not worth the struggle. In a post-tonal century why bother writing fugues for guitar in keys like C minor and D flat major? Because it's fun! I drew inspiration from composers ranging across the Western tradition such as Byrd, Bach, Handel, Haydn, Beethoven, Bartok, Hindemith, Shostakovich, Messiaen and Ellington."

Artwork courtesy of Giampaolo Macorig on Flickr http://tinyurl.com/zp6fg94

With his new album, Personal Elegy, Field returns to his rock roots, taking an intimate singer/songwriter approach. Personal Elegy is influenced by the glorious rock and roll Golden Age, the 1970s. The album has an overall classic rock feel, with songs running along that arc - with soft rock, classic rock, mellow rock, glam rock, classic hard rock.

About Personal Elegy, Chris Field says, "This album is a collection of songs I wrote and recorded over the past ten years. Living in Los Angeles, in the Valley, which is close to Topanga Canyon and the Pacific Ocean, there's so much nature and history all in the same area. Influence wise, I was remembering some music that was going on around here, back in the sixties and seventies. Lyrically, I was just writing about things around me. I really got into writing lyrics for this and was trying to find my own point of view. On Personal Elegy, I'm singing, using my own voice, unlike the instrumental works I usually do for film."

Field continues, "The title track for the album, "Personal Elegy", is about things and people that have passed. It's, for me, watching the Valley change. Family and friends passing. Movie stars have their time as well. Heath Ledger had just passed away when I wrote this. The whole city of Los Angeles stopped for a moment - maybe the whole country. Really great actors make you feel that you know them and their passing feels immediate and personal. Definitely, in our family, my wife and niece were very upset, there was a reaction against this sudden loss, the ultimate reminder of change. This song seems to tie the album together in some way."

It is everyone's journey along the arc of time, beginning with death in "Personal Elegy" and through heaven in the piece "A Safe Place to Hide". The theme of sexual love in "Computer Girl", turns to hopeful love in "Since You Were My Baby" and "Autumn Moon", developing into the never ending love of "You Make My Life Better".

Within this arc of experience comes fame, in the glittery world of the movies, fans clamoring for an "Autograph". (Field's orchestral writing abilities shine in this piece.) "Start Again" comes after a fall. The ambiguous story of the sad abused girl "Nola" and "Had It Comin'" look directly into the ever present life dangers of abuse, and when called for, retribution.

"How Did We Get Here", "Live Another Day", and "All I Do Is Think About You" deal with past experience, the wonderment of how and why things have unfolded as they did. "New Tomorrow" and "Movin" promise that we've still got some time.

We still have the hope of a better tomorrow, but only by moving on from things that have changed. But really, do things change? On the sand and beach, the eternal stars shining in the sky, the writer asks, was this "Just A Dream"? Only the listener can decide that for themselves - but Field's music can certainly put one in the mood to wonder. A great find.

***Five bonus instrumental tracks are included on the Magnatune version.

More than likely you'll notice: fretted and fretless bass, electric and slide guitar, voices galore, alto sax, harmonica, alto recorder, bass mbira, popping bass calloused thumb joint on PZM mic, dishwasher, washing machine, low-fi Audio organ and the dreaded drum machine, all going in various directions at various speeds... featuring dB's great-grandmother's wind-up stuffed Bear on Lullabye.

"Amy solo her best so far, playing guitar, bass, saxes like a demon and singing better than ever. Strong arrangements, exact and exiting use of musical sound, and beautiful, seductive recording. Lyrical, tough, mysterious in proportions not available elsewhere. Amy's is a unique voice, as player, singer and composer. Addictive repeated listening and highly recommended."
Chris Cutler ReR London