View - Dirty Feet CD Review (October 25-31, 2001. Vol. 7 No. 43 Pg. 14)

Mike Branton Dirty Feet Independent

Best know to Canadian blues aficionados for his work with Stu Heydon and Michael Pickett, guitarist Mike Branton has finally released his first album as a leader and it serves as a calling card of what this gifted player is capable of doing. A Mix of styles and sounds , Dirty Feet is bound by Branton's authoritative voice and his Michael Bloomfield meets T-Bone Walker at a Buddy Guy, concert style of playing. His continually inventive improvisational soloing is augmented by an intimate interplay with organ player Tortoise Blue and harp player Les Smith. Whether they are playing a rhythmically heavy, Cajun seasoned "You Stole My Love", the Chicago south Side, after hours feel of "Unfinished Business" or Jimmy Smith tempered title track. Branton and his capable support unit pull off the miracle of breathing new life into overly familiar sounds. Most revealing is when, Branton pulls back and strips down. On "Times Not Right" he returns the listener to the essence of the blues, playing some terrifying slide guitar and laying down a vocal track that is as haunting as it is revealing. On the other side "IOU", his guitar duet with ex-Jacksoul strummer Justin Abedin. The joy these two are experiencing on this low-key swing number is simply infectious and typical high caliber of musicianship found throughout. Branton doesn't reinvent the blues here but he manages to make his mark on some well-trodden soil. That in itself qualifies Dirty Feet as a musical feat. [AE]