johnfindlaymusic.com - REVIEWS

John Findlay

Rootstime in Belgium
www.rootstime.be
Reviewer: Ronny Bervoets
Feb. 2007

NOTE:kindly translated by the author.

John Findlay from Ottawa, Canada is a man who has a lot of years "on the road" behind his back.
As a 15 year old boy ,he already traveled throughout America as a guitar player for a southern rock and blues band. A few years later he returned to America to continue his studies as a musician, and returned as a professional guitarist with a lot of experience. But not only on guitar, was he also a much asked-for pianist as well. One day you could hear him in a club playing the piano for a traditional jazz vocalist ,a day later, and his skilled guitar work was needed for a local punk band. In the early 80's John returned to Ottawa to play with a band called "Silver Darts" with all very famous musicians, in the press even the term "supergroup"was used.
In the nineties he did a lot of session work for names such as Snooky Prior and Matt "Guitar" Murphy. In short this is the story of his career so far. Let' s hear what this
brings us for his CD "Fairplay" .

"Well, it's a modern mix of jazzy-blues with Motown influences. Very sophisticated recordings with a perfect sound quality and superb vocals, which remind me a lot of James Taylor, but with a bit more of bluesy feeling, Sorry James. John himself defines his music as a combination of Steely Dan and Little Feat, and that's exactly what I thought when I first listened to it. These two bands being my two favorites, it's obvious I like John's music a lot. A soulful mix of Jazz and Nawlins stuff, he calls it a bit further, and indeed there are some Dr.John influences too. Sometimes Blues is the most important influence (Ninth ward demolition blues) which tells the story of the demolition of the many houses and people losing their homes after Hurricane Katrina. On other moments it is Jazz (I Mean You) but always the songs have a Steely Dan Quality about them. Some may like that and some don't, and will find it too clean, but if like here, a lot of soul is added , I find it a "delicatessen" for your ears.Listen,or better, buy: highly recommended!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

CD Review: John Findlay- Fairplay

CD Review:

Artist: John Findlay
Title: Fairplay
Website: http://www.johnfindlaymusic.com
Style: R&B/Jazz/Blues
By Staff Writer L. Anne Carrington

Need a mood lifter on long, dreary winter days that has most vibrant pieces of music, is expressive,

very well done, with good lyrics, and is well-produced?

The answer could be right here.

Toronto musician and singer John Findlay could be a familiar name among those that follow pop,

jazz and blues music very closely; several names in the industry he has worked with have included

Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Marc Jordan, Katrina and the Waves, Carlos Del Junco, Colin Linden,

Rita Chiarelli, Georgie Fame, Snooky Prior, Sylvia Tyson, Cindy Church, Richard Carpenter &

Carol Welsman.

The latest CD by Findlay, Fairplay, is a classic mix of R&B, jazz and blues, with an upbeat mood.

The vocals on this release are powerful and a class act, drawing in the listener throughout the entire

CD.

Top song choices that stand out are "Intoxication," with tight harmonies, and the lead vocals that are

full and right on target, "High Water," a well produced blues track with excellent harmony parts and

the tone of the guitar are absolutely splendid, and the rocker "Ninth Ward Demolition Blues," that has

a groove that I enjoyed immensely and speaks a message. No song can be better than this.

Fairplay is now available on CD Baby and iTunes, as well as sold at other independent outlets. It is

a must-have for both collectors and listeners alike of independent music and I recommend that no

collection be without it.