here is review by Norman Darwen published in BLUES IN THE SOUTH / May 2016
Singer and guitarist DougMacLeod is one of those rare artists, a blues revivalist who also appeals to the purists. If that seems rather unusual, all is explained within the first few seconds of the opening track, as Doug conjures up the spirit of the great John Lee Hooker with both his guitar work and vocals – later on, on ‘Home Cookin’’, he shows off his Lightnin’ Hopkins licks, though there is no sense that Doug is doing this by rote. He has an authentic approach, one that seems true to the spirit of the deep blues. He learned directly from many of the greats – and some of the great unknowns. Wikipedia categorises him as “the storytelling bluesman”, which certainly fits well, as this performance reveals, Doug successfully integrating his stories of his early influences and experiences into his songs. His guitar sound is loud, driving, down-home and rough, his voice strong and expressive, and his songs seemingly personal and always fascinating – Doug does his own songs, though here he also performs a fourteen minutes long, heavily reworked version of Bukka White’s ‘New Panama Limited’. The material on this CD originally saw light of day on a long unavailable limited edition DVD release of a 2006 concert, and this audio only release presents eleven songs from two shows. This one is indeed for all the blues lovers in the house. A real treat!
