daniel lanois

Last Sunday Doctor Martin and I saw one of the best gigs I've been to in many years.

Daniel Lanois is not only one of the worlds most successful and talented record producers, he has also been making his own records for the past 21 years.

From the delightful Acadie in 1990 right up until this year's Black Dub, his albums are imbued with a spirituality, an honesty, a sense of righteousness that few other albums possess. Emotional, but upliftingly so, his songs ring of hope, of love, of life itself.

Many of Lanois' recordings have involved the talented bassist Daryl Johnson, who also harmonises with Daniel beautifully, and the supremely brilliant drummer Brian Blade. Anyone who knows about drumming recognises that Blade is quite possibly the best drummer alive. His innate sense of rhythm and the sheer musicality he epitomises is second to none.

Daniel Lanois worked with Texan blues singer Chris Whitley in the early 1990s and after Whitley's untimely death a few years ago got back in touch with his family. Lanois was impressed with the songs and musicianship of Chris' teenage daughter Trixie and offered to help out. Very quickly, and with Brian Blade and Daryl Johnson on board, it became clear that a genuine band vibe had developed. The mix of Johnson's funk, Blade's jazz, Trixie's blues and soul and Lanois' increasing fascination with Jamaican dub music, the new songs that arose were unlike anything that any of the band had done before.

The project was named Black Dub and early, live in the studio videos were posted on youtube - these betray an almost unbelievable amount of confidence from the quartet. Some of the songs were so funky that it hurt.

Most of the summer of 2011 has been taken up with touring and the band played two nights at the intimate Jazz Cafe in Camden. I saw the first show and it was just wonderful from start to finish.

Much of the album was played, but looser, freer and more alive than on record. At times Blade would begin a song only for the others to pause and watch him in awe before joining in. Blade sat happily drumming as if he had not a care in the world, effortlessly awesome, his hands a blur, playing the most stunning drumming that I have ever witnessed. Frankly, I could have watched him all night, but the rest of Black Dub were also worth paying attention to.

With Daryl Johnson unable to tour, his place on stage was more than ably filled by Jim Wilson who contibuted superb vocals as well as deft and powerful bass. Lanois, heavily bearded and wearing a straw hat, played some astoundingly strong guitar, some gorgeous pedal steel guitar and sang like an angel. Trixie Whitley, aged just 22, displayed so much confidence in her powerfuly emotional vocals, in her angry guitar work and when she occasionally played alongside Blade on her own drum kit. But she was also clearly quite shy and not the slightest bit cocky. Indeed her humility was incredibly refreshing and endearing. There was a lot of smiling going on, as the band was clearly having such a lot of fun. This rubbed off on the audience.

Best track of the night - so hard to choose, but the propulsively exciting "Ring The Alarm" takes the prize for the most amazing drumming, Trixie's "I'd Rather Go Blind" had the most thrilling guitarwork, and "Love Lives" was perhaps the strongest in vocal terms. For me however I think it was Lanois' "The Messenger" with some stunning three part harmonies - song of the night, I reckon. Laid back, cool and effortlessly lovely. This is how music should always be.