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House of Refuge

House of Refuge Blues

House of Refuge

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Description
On "House of Refuge", multi nominated and Juno Award winner Jim Byrnes has dug deep into the traditions that have influenced the whole of his life. Growing up on the north side of St. Louis, Byrnes was surrounded by the likes of Chuck Berry, Johnny Johnson, and Ike and Tina Turner. Over the years Jim has appeared with a virtual who's who of musical history including Furry Lewis, Henry Townsend, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, Taj Mahal, Robert Cray, and Ray Charles. With House of Refuge, Jim Byrnes has let this life wash over him and come up with perhaps the most inspired and soulful album of his already accomplished and storied career. Recorded and produced in Vancouver by another Juno Award winner Steve Dawson, "House of Refuge" is the follow up to 2004's "Fresh Horses" and is much more than just a gospel tinged record. It is a twelve track long player of songs and stories of deep soul and faith all brought to breathe by a lust for life and a deference for death. Besides Byrnes and Dawson on guitars, the album features Jesse Zubot on fiddle and mandolin, Elliot Polsky on percussion and drums, Keith Lowe on double bass, Chris Gestrin on keyboard/organ/accordion and the gospel trio The Sojourners on vocals who are Marcus Mosely, Will Sanders, and Ron Small. Starting with a stirring a capella section from The Sojourners, the traditional album opener "Didn't It Rain" then launches into a powerful back beat of hope and salvation. This is quickly followed by two songs Byrnes penned when he was in Lithuania shooting the feature film Highlander - The Source. While the gorgeous "Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid" is a nod to the 27th Psalm, the slowly urgent death chaser "Running Out Of Time", was written by Byrnes in the time it takes to sing it. Another Byrnes original, "The Death of Ernesto" was written in the middle of the night in the Utah Mountains after meeting Che Guevara in a dream
Product details
Release Date:
2007-06-29
Publication Date:
2007-06-29
Publisher:
Rounder Europe (in-Akustik)
Languages:
Published: English, Original: English
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