2016 – Ross Neilsen
By Phillip Smith; Oct. 15, 2016
Canadian guitarist and
singer/songwriter Ross Neilsen has a
special way of tapping into his human experience, then catapulting that
essence, full of heart and soul, into his music. His latest album Elemental shows just that, as he infuses his unique blend of
country, blues, and rock into eleven wonderfully constructed songs. Neilsen’s
talent has not gone unnoticed. He
has received Best Blues Recording for
the Music New Brunswick Awards twice,
received two CBS Rising Star awards,
and was a semi-finalist in the 2012 International
Blues Challenge.
Neilsen delightfully
taps into the delta blues with “Black Coffee”. Hearing Neilsen
ripping it up on guitar alongside Steve
Marriner’s righteous harp performance, transports me right to Memphis’ historic
Beale Street. A haunting country melody accented
by Neil Young-like riffs set the
mood in “Devil Made You”. This is one
cool as hell track with fantastic steel guitar.
An air of melancholy washes over when I hear “Ash Fault” play
through. The violin accompaniment from Jim Bowskill beautifully sets the tone. “The Race” has an old-school Motown
vibe. The soulful vocals and peppy bursts
of brass put a smile on my face.
