Colin James Takes a Trip With "Traveler"

The B.C. singer, songwriter, and guitarist's latest release finds him tackling a trio of daring cover tunes

Colin James is not short of ambition, as his latest CD, Traveler, confirms. Not content with writing his own songs, he has set his sights on a trio of daring covers: one by the greatest electric guitarist who ever lived; one by the most enduring pop icon of the 1960s; and one by a former cult figure who is now ranked among the most influential songwriters of the past century.

That last is Nick Drake, who died in 1974 but whose ongoing revival shows no sign of stopping. Traveler's version of Drake's posthumously released "Black Eyed Dog" is more of a tribute than a re-imagining: James stresses the musical links between the Mississippi blues styles of the 1920s and Drake's distinctively English brand of spookiness, but his rendering hews closely to the author's original. Still, with its hushed, séancelike atmosphere and keening vocal, James's "Dog" is unlike anything else the normally ebullient performer has issued.

"The idea to record a Nick Drake song came through Pierre Marchand, Sarah McLachlan's producer," James explains, reached by phone at his Lions Bay home. "He was talking with Mark [Howard, who produced Traveler], and he made a joke like 'I think Colin should do all Nick Drake' or something like that. But he didn't suggest any particular song, so I just went in and started listening, and when I first heard 'Black Eyed Dog', at first I think I laughed it off. It was such an odd recording: he's got this kind of high voice, and it's almost like it was recorded poorly. But the song is just so haunting that about a week later I phoned Mark and said, 'You know, we should give that one a shot.' And I'm really glad we did. We kind of went into a trancelike state during the recording of it; we lowered the shades and lit some candles and really tried to get into the moment."

No special strategies were necessary when it came to recording John Lennon's "I'm Losing You", from the 1980 Double Fantasy CD. Blues-based performers are just starting to tap into the late Beatle's catalogue for material, and James's soulful take on this breakup song shows why that's not a bad idea.

"We looked at 'Mind Games' and a couple of other Lennon tunes, and that one just seemed to jump out," he says. "And I think that when we doubled the vocals, íƒ   la Lennon himself, we kind of got the spirit of him in the song without completely just ripping it off, you know."

Traveler's third cover is maybe a little less surprising, but it's the one you'd think James would have worried about the most. When the artist you're channelling is Jimi Hendrix and the album you're borrowing from is as perfect as 1968's Electric Ladyland, you've got big expectations to live up to--but, according to James, adding "Rainy Day, Dream Away" to Traveler was almost an impromptu inspiration.

"We didn't over-listen to the song," he recalls. "I think we kind of listened to it once or twice, just to get the general feel of it, and then we did a seven-minute odyssey. Without any overdubs, which was good. You can sit and beat something like that to death."

Somehow the original's spacy "I can see a bunch of wet creatures" bridge got lost in the process, but James isn't too concerned. "You know, every time you approach a Hendrix song you're going to have a lot of the purists coming down on you," he allows. "But we just tried to do it in the spirit of the moment."

And that's true for most of Traveler. With the exception of the ponderous "You and Whose Army", which sounds like a blatant attempt to write an American-radio hit, James's new disc relies on live-sounding grooves and natural ambiances--the result, perhaps, of recording at the Paramour, Howard's 1920s-vintage mansion. The Los Angeles--based producer thinks spontaneity is the key to getting good performances, and James agrees with him. Up to a point, that is.

"I've worked with many different producers over the years, and everyone's got something that they do great, and then something that they don't do so great," he says diplomatically. "Mark's a real of-the-moment guy; he doesn't take down notes. I mean, I had to do a couple of remixes, and it was really hard to weed through what we had and didn't have, because organization skills aren't really what he does."

James won't rule out working with Howard again. But he does let on that he's getting ready to cut a follow-up to National Steel, his 1997 collaboration with Colin Linden, and that a new Little Big Band CD is in the works. But first he's headlining the Burnaby Blues & Roots Festival at Deer Lake Park on Saturday (August 21), and as those who've been following him over the years know, on-stage is where he's at his best.

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