Al Tuck — My Blues Away

Like Ron Sexsmith, Al Tuck is painfully under-appreciated by the masses, yet deeply respected by his contemporaries. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Haligonian musician who does not cite Mr. Tuck among his/her allies or influences. Joel Plaskett recently called Tuck "a bluesman of the highest order." This is clear on the heart-wrenching "Let Her Go" (which clocks in at just over a minute) and the sorrowful storytelling in "February's Snow." But My Blues Away isn't all about tears in beers. Tuck proves he has a healthy sense of humour in "Brother From Another Mother," a tune that pays tribute to his favourite bartender and "Big O' Me" which describes the difficulties of monogamy. Overall, however, there's more heartbreak here than levity. I guess that's why they call it the blues.