A Soul to Claim Doug MacLeod
Album info
Album-Release:
2022
HRA-Release:
08.04.2022
Album including Album cover Booklet (PDF)
- 1A Soul to Claim05:09
- 2Be What You Is04:05
- 3Money Talks03:56
- 4Where Are You?04:54
- 5Dodge City05:16
- 6Smokey Nights and Faded Blues04:35
- 7Only Porter at the Station04:27
- 8Mud Island Morning03:20
- 9Dubb’s Talking Disappointment Blues05:45
- 10Grease the Wheel04:11
- 11Somewhere on a Mississippi Highway05:33
- 12There Is Always Love03:34
Info for A Soul to Claim
The fifth album with the prolific singer, songwriter, engaging storyteller, and masterful guitarist, Doug MacLeod. For A Soul To Claim, Doug teamed with legendary producer and engineer Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Luther Allison, Steve Miller Band) in Gaines’ East Tennessee studio, not far from Doug’s new home on the Mississippi River in Memphis.
Like the old masters who taught him, MacLeod’s music expresses life and times through an elusive quality that may simply be a keen sense of what matters most. “There’s humor in my songs, but also messages on how to make it through this life. That’s what I learned from the old guys.”
Through twelve new MacLeod originals, Doug and his trusty Waterloo guitar Pnut are joined by Memphis studio veterans Rick Steff/keyboards, Dave Smith/bass, and Steve Potts/drums for five tracks, six tracks feature Doug alone and one is a solo instrumental. Liner notes from Doug MacLeod and Deems Taylor award winning journalist Dan Forte (Vintage Guitar), provide liner notes for the release.
The way Doug sees it, “Blues is about the journey, it’s about speaking honestly from your heart. It’s a music of hope. No matter what cards you have been dealt—either the cards you started out with in this life, or the cards you’re holding now—if it’s not a good hand, you can overcome it.”
A perennial Blues Music Award nominee and multiple Blues Music Award winner including Acoustic Artist of The Year and Acoustic Album of the Year, A Soul To Claim is Doug’s 22nd album.
“Hopefully I will make you laugh, cry, think. Most importantly, I hope I make you feel, because that’s what this music is about.”
“If you’re an existing fan or one that should become one, you know this set is going to take you off the beaten path—and that’s a good thing! Not everyone can just go and create their own genre. Killer stuff.” (Chris Spector, Midwest Record)
Doug MacLeod, guitars, vocals
Dave Smith, bass
Rick Steff, keyboards
Steve Potts, drums
Doug MacLeod
winner of The 2013 Blues Blast Music Award for Male Artist Of The Year and perennial Blues Music Award nominee, is a singer-songwriter in the American tradition. He is a traveling artist that writes and sings original songs that are based on his own life and experiences. He learned from the old masters, lived the music, survived the life and carries forward a valuable tradition. MacLeod is known for his superb songwriting, guitar wizardry, warm soulful vocals, wit and unforgettable live performances. At the heart of this is his knack for storytelling, bringing characters-from the faceless to the legendary-to strikingly real life.
As a youth he overcame abuse and a crippling stutter by turning to music. After he picked up a guitar, and tried to sing - he found his voice.
While he developed his rich, soulful singing style MacLeod also worked out a unique, unorthodox and powerfully rhythmic acoustic guitar style. The rage of his turbulent youth was eventually channeled through his guitar, using his relentless right hand to pound out an insistent, churning beat to complement his intricate bottleneck and finger-style technique. MacLeod's playing landed him sideman gigs with George 'Harmonica' Smith, Big Joe Turner, Pee Wee Crayton, Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, Lowell Fulson and Big Mama Thornton. Under their tutelage, he learned how to thrill and enrapture a crowd.
Over 29 years, 19 studio albums, several live records, compilations, a blues guitar instructional DVD and a live performance DVD, MacLeod has consistently earned raves. His songs have been covered by many artists including Albert King, Albert Collins, Joe Louis Walker and Eva Cassidy. He has co-written songs with Dave Alvin and Coco Montoya.
MacLeod's songs have been featured in many TV movies and the hit show In the Heat of the Night. Two of his songs are on Grammy nominated albums by Albert King and Albert Collins.
From 1999 to 2004 he hosted Nothin' But The Blues, a very popular weekend blues show on Los Angeles' KLON-KKJZ. He has also been the voice for The Blues Showcase on Continental Airlines and contributed his soulful slide guitar playing to the Los Angeles opening of the August Wilson play "Gem of the Ocean". For ten years he penned "Doug's Back Porch," a regular feature column in Blues Revue Magazine in which he shared his humorous and insightful stories with thousands of readers. He won the Golden Note Award in 1997 for his AudioQuest album "You Can't Take My Blues". In 2006 Solid Air/Warner Bros. released Doug's guitar instructional DVD "101* Blues Guitar Essentials".
MacLeod signed with Reference Recordings in 2012. His new album "There’s A Time" was released in March of 2013. In every note he performs and records, MacLeod subscribes to the rule-of-thumb learned from country bluesman Ernest Banks from Toano VA. who instilled in him to "Never play a note you don't believe", and "Never write or sing about what you don't know about."
Like the old masters who taught him, MacLeod's music expresses life and times via an intangible, elusive quality that may simply be a keen sense of what matters most. There is a philosophic and healing side to MacLeod's music and his stories that has helped others overcome the hardships of their lives. As Pee Wee Crayton's widow Esther once told Doug, "You have a message and you'll send that message mainly to the people who don't go to church."