CHRIS CAIN

So Many Miles

Blue Rock'It

By Dawn O’Keefe Williams

Chris Cain’s latest CD So Many Miles serves up a delicious blend of blues laced with jazz and rock throughout its entirety.  Each song is a constant treat for those that like their blues with a different twist.

Cain’s masterful guitar skills blend easily with the rest of the instruments performed largely by Robben Ford’s band.  His ease of musicianship, along with the tight rhythms of the organ, plus Robben Ford’s rhythm guitar and the creative, yet solid, bass and tight drums bring about a well- produced CD by brothers Patrick and Robben Ford on the Blue Rock'It label (Patrick Ford’s imprint that distributes this CD through Blind Pig) .

 Cain’s solos and guitar licks are tasteful and have an easy flow all through the CD such as in the opening song “So Many Miles”.  At the intro the organ growls and Cain’s guitar solo leads you into the song.  Again in the middle, his solo emerges and takes you through to the end with an easy flow.  Demonstrating his diverse style of performance, Cain’s solo in “Good Time Barry” is more aggressive with a harder groove than in the rest of the CD.

Cain’s songwriting and vocals are outstanding.  Each song on So Many Miles is a story about people, places and circumstances.  You won’t find a “she done me wrong, crying in my beer” type of song here.  Instead Cain takes you on the road as he’s “flyin’ down the highway heading west” in the first track “So Many Miles”.   Then you stop in “Down at Dino’s” and hang out with “Nellie, Rosie and me”.  Cain sings about the unusual character that is waiting for the “Interplanetary Jam”.  In this song Cain demonstrates his vocal ability when he impressively belts out : “…interplanetary jam!”  as his voice nearly jumps up another octave.

His songs continue with storylines about “Good Time Barry” and the “Golden Boy” -- the college superstar that fell to drugs.  If you want to know what goes on in the back alleys of cities late at night, listen to the words of “While The City Sleeps”; Cain again demonstrates his soulful vocals and hits notes with a strong tenor.

The musical composition of the CD is consistent with its jazz influence as it flows in and out of the songs.  Just when you think you are hearing a typical shuffle in the second cut, “Tomorrow’s Gonna Be A Better Day,” you realize Cain is not performing the typical 1, 4, 5 chord structure.  Instead there are plenty of jazz chords, changes and accents to delight the listener who prefers their blues with a little more than the predictable music path.  The organ does some wonderful fills as the solid bass walks to some unusual notes that blend perfectly as the drums keep a solid beat that holds you and makes you groove to this unique song. 

So Many Miles continues to serve up different styles. The funky mid-tempo “Late Night Jungle Green” starts with a horn section reminiscent of the band Chicago; yet it diverges from that classic sound due to the unusual blend of notes played by the saxophone, trumpet and trombone.  The rock-influenced “Down at Dino’s” opens with an interesting wah-wah pedal along with a guitar solo and returns to the wah-wah again at the bridge with a jazz influenced line.  The unique use of the wah-wah pedal shows up once more on the intro of “While The City Sleeps.”  Special guest, Grammy nominated guitarist, Larry Carlton performs on the instrumental “East Foothill Fingerprints” adding to the variety of styles on  Cain’s So Many Miles.

Each time this CD is played, something different comes to the forefront.  So Many Miles is to be played over and over.  It is guaranteed to take you “so many miles, so many places” down a unique musical path.  This CD is highly recommended.

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