Tag: Doug MacLeod

Title: Doug MacLeod – Whose Truth, Whose Lies (2000) [Reissue 2007]
Genre: Blues
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

In 2000, you would have been hard-pressed to find a more lowdown blues-oriented recording than singer/guitarist Doug MacLeod’s Whose Truth, Whose Lies?, which should appeal to anyone who likes his/her blues dark, shadowy, and moody. This isn’t an album that tries to win you over with slickness; whether MacLeod is going electric or acoustic, he obviously identifies with the simplicity and honesty that characterized the country blues artists of the ’30s and ’40s. Not that Whose Truth, Whose Lies? sounds like a recording from that time. MacLeod’s lyrics obviously aren’t pre-World War II lyrics, and he has been influenced by soul, rock, and folk as well as country and urban blues. Not everything on this superb album adheres to a 12-bar format, and some of the tunes fall into the folk category. But even when he is getting into a folk or R&B groove, MacLeod can always be counted on to provide a wealth of blues feeling. Whose Truth, Whose Lies? may not be the work of a purist, but it is certainly compelling.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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Title: Doug MacLeod – Unmarked Road (1997) [Reissue 2000]
Genre: Blues
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Doug MacLeod’s dark singing and sparse guitar playing are a throwback to the country-blues artists of the 1930s, although his lyrics have more modern sensibilities. Much of this superior album is haunting and mildly disturbing, giving one the feeling that there is a great deal beneath the surface. It is the type of blues/folk recording worth experiencing several times, in contrast to those of recent times that express more obvious sentiments. Bassist Jeff Turmes is on just seven of the dozen songs (five of which also include drummer Stefev Mugalian); three of the remaining tunes are duets by MacLeod with percussionist Oliver Brown, and the two others are unaccompanied solo performances. Although the leader’s guitar playing is impressive, it is his distinctive and very sincere voice on his dozen originals that sticks in one’s mind.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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