Live Review: Eddie Turner/Detroit Women/Mem Shannon and the Membership, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 9, 2006

The missus and I trucked it on down to the Blues till Dusk stage Sunday afternoon for some fun in the sun.

First up was Denver's Eddie Turner, who I'd seen a few weeks back at the Rainbow Bistro here in Ottawa. More Cleveland than Mississippi, Turner's blues-infected rock sounded great in the heat. His soloing was more impressive this time than when I last saw him, but his overall performance was left wanting for lack of stage time (little more than an hour) and also because he didn't play standout new tune "Jody" from his latest album, "The Turner Diaries". Still, very, very good. If he's ever in your area, you ought to check him out, as he's another hidden treasure just waiting to be enjoyed by fans of good music.

We then headed over to the MBNA stage for the Detroit Women, a group of Motor City mamas. Despite a pretty cool cover of the Band's "The Weight", this entire affair was far too gospel-ly for my tastes and it more resembled coug night at the karaoke bar than anything else. Forgettable.

Back to the Blues till Dusk stage for Nawlin's Mem Shannon, a 350-lb former cab driver turned professional musician. Talented playing, with the highlight being a funked-up version of the Beatles' "Elinor Rigby", but not really my speed as it was too ... well, bluesy. But if you're into that, you'd have liked it.

Artist ratings:

Eddie Turner: 8.5/10
Detroit Women: 5.5/10
Mem Shannon: 6.5/10

Overall rating: 7/10