Chris Dair

Blues Connection

Crossroads To Freedom is written and performed entirely by Chris Dair and is his first album dedicated purely to the blues from the Mississippi delta all the way to the streets of Chicago and beyond!  What is refreshing is that there appears to be no limitation as to how Chris Dair interprets the way his guitar should be played, having jammed with the best of them down the years including Jeff Beck, Peter Green, Rory Gallagher, Jimmy Page, Mark Knopfler and the great Bukka White to name but a few! 

Crossroads To Freedom gets straight down to business with 'No Reason Blues' that is classic Chicago blues harking back to the Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf era!  Influences abound here as you would expect from such a seasoned artist, with a somewhat mystical sounding 'See The Stars' offering more than a hint of Ravi Shankar, before the Santana inspired instrumental 'Obsession' transcends over proceedings. Some of these recordings might easily lend themselves to a film soundtrack, that incidentally is not new territory for this man who is not afraid to experiment, as is well demonstrated on the innovative title track 'Crossroads To Freedom' which delivers some very interesting psychedelic blues!  'Please Don't Let Me Go' cruises into some really cool jazz tinged blues ahead of the vintage sounding 'Never Comin' Home Blues', which is given some authentic worn vinyl treatment that many listeners may find intriguing? 

Right from the first note on 'I Feel The Need', you become spellbound as his guitar riffs and smooth vocals combine to find the perfect blend and are only set free once a wailing harmonica introduces 'Lovin' You Too Much', as he connects his wah-wah pedal to unleash some screaming guitar SRV style!  The laid back 'Last Fall' and 'Leavin' Town Blues' lead us well into JJ Cale chartered territory and on 'Ya Smile At Me', he even finds time to mix in some rare juice harp with some good ole country blues.  Listening to 'Goldwater Mountain', you discover a fabulous example of American acoustic roots music (reminiscent of the early Doobie Brothers), before 'Lost In Wasted Time' delivers a dreamy guitar solo that even Roy Buchanan might have taken his hat off to! 

Crossroads To Freedom is the album you always wanted to own and could never remember the name of, and it also marks the moment Chris Dair stepped out of the shadows to become a genuine blues artist in his own right!  Check him out at http://www.chrisdairmusic.com and discover what you've been missing! 


Blues Underground Network - John Vermilyea

Just before I started this review I headed over to Chris Dair's main website and noticed some scrolling text on the top of his homepage. It said "Chris Dair is now No. 1 on the Reverbnation BLUES charts for FRANCE!!", certainly a worthy accomplishment for any blues artist. Chris Dair however is not just any blues artist, nor is he just a blues artist, for his talents far exceed such a simple classification.
http://www.bluesundergroundnetwork.com/Chris_Dair_CD.html
Chris Dair's introduction to musicianship was sparked by hearing the famed flamenco artist Manitas De Plata, whom after hearing "him play at Arles in 1964, Pablo Picasso is said to have exclaimed "that man is of greater worth than I am!".

At 14 Chris Dair's love of the Blues quickly got him gigging with the likes of John Mayall and John McVie, at many great London Venues. While still a young lead Guitarist, Chris Dair jammed and played with many of the greats such as Rory Gallagher, Jimmy Paige, Ginger Baker, Mark Knopfler, Led Zeppelin, Peter Green, Jeff Beck, and Bukka White, to name just a few. Chris Dair is also a very talented Composer in the Film and Media Industry, for Nickelodeon, Guinness World Records (USA), The Vibe, Brian Waddell (USA), True Hollywood Story (USA), ITV, and Planet Television, to name a few.
"Crossroads To Freedom" is Chris Dair's fourth Album and his first Album completely dedicated to the blues. It consists of 13 tracks which are all Originals, written by Chris and while you could certainly over simplify it by saying that "Crossroads To Freedom" is a Collection of 13 great songs, you would not being doing that Album justice, for it is much more than a Collection of Songs, it is quite simply a Mosaic of exceptional music. It is also an Album, that of course has many Blues Styles, but that are done in such a way that they transcend Geographical borders and would better be classified as World Blues. Most of songs that you will hear on "Crossroads To Freedom", may certainly be familiar in style to other well known musicians, such as B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and yes even Jim Morrison, but they are brought forward by Chris with a uniqueness of delivery, that you may find even more amazing considering the fact that the only musician and vocalist on "Crossroads To Freedom" is Chris Dair.
This is a fact I confirmed with him via email in which he stated, "all of the instruments are played by me, bass, guitars, harmonica, etc. I recorded and produced the album in my small studio at home." Something I also found unique was Chris Dair's fantastic ability to match his vocals to what ever particular style he is playing, which is a rare talent indeed. I found listening to "Crossroads To Freedom", to be more of a long uninterrupted journey than simply a bunch of quick stops. The music Chris Dair presents on this Album is put together in such a way that it gracefully and logical blends as one, almost like the score one would expect on a great movie.
Pulling out a few songs that could be said were my favorites would be doing this Album a disservice, somewhat like pulling the teeth out of a persons mouth that had a perfect smile already. Each song on "Crossroads To Freedom" has it's own unique specialness and does not deserve the classification of being "better than the rest". "Crossroads To Freedom" shows off the amazing talent that is Chris Dair, a talent that can certainly be put up and compared to the best musicians,vocalists, and songwriters, out there today.
Not to much thought was required for me to see that "Crossroads To Freedom" certainly deserved my highest rating of 5*****. A rare find, from a rare Artist.
Review by John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)


UNIVERSAL MUSIC TRIBE - MICHAEL BUFFALO SMITH

Honestly, it has been a while since I heard a guitar player that I resonate with like I do Chris Dair. The English guitar slinger is not only a brilliant and creative innovator on the six-string, he is also a extremely talented vocalist. On Crossroads to Freedom, Dair takes us on a joy ride from the straight up electric blues of “Lost in Wasted Time” and “No Reason Blues” to the wah-wah laden blues rock instrumental “Lovin’ You Too Much,” a tune that evokes memories of Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
And just when you think you have him figured out, that guitar of his takes us into a slow, moody “See the Stars,” a kind of Van Morrison meets Dire Straits sound.
The title track “Crossroads to Freedom,” is a blues that hints at Pink Floyd and Jim Morrison. At least that’s what I hear. All I know is that I could play that one song on a loop for hours. I do love the way Dair recorded “Never Comin’ Home Blues” with pops and scratches to sound like an old 78 rpm record. There are so many wonderful sounds on the album, it is almost hard to describe. I even hear Tony Joe White and J.J. Cale influence on songs like “Last Fall,” while at other times his guitar playing brings to mind people like John McLaughlin or Frank Zappa on his Shut Up and Play Your Guitarrecord.
Until last week I had not heard of Chris Dair. Now I can honestly say that he is one of my favorite artists. Yes, it is that good of an album. Buffalo says “check it out.” -Michael Buffalo Smith


Paris on the Move

A collection of original blues inspired by those composed in the Mississippi delta and those played in the streets of Chicago, but written and played here by Chris Dair, a singer-guitarist too little known in France but whose talent is such as you never knew. You will soon see him playing everywhere in France.
You are offered here thirteen songs with a duration of around fifty minutes during which the guitarist engages in some fine technical prowess, supported by superb bass lines. But Chris Dair is not just a great guitarist, the boy also has a voice that sticks superbly with this musicality that oozes from amps. As proof, he was on the list of 'Best English guitarist' for the British Blues Awards 2011 and he jammed with names like Jimmy Page, Ginger Baker, Rory Gallagher, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin and the famous bluesman Bukka White.
n ° 1 on the Blues connection CD charts and n ° 1 on the Reverbnation Blues charts in France, the musician does not deny any of his blues roots, the fingers and the soul bathed in a blues tinted as well by Muddy Waters as Howlin ' Wolf. A violin on 'See the Stars' lights up beautiful flights of acoustic guitar while on the instrumental 'Obsession', Chris Dair plays it like Carlos Santana (on a PRS Custom Tiger Stripe guitar), sliding from a sound universe to the other, as if he alone could allow the same guitarist to rub shoulders with musical palettes as different as those offered on this plate.
'Crossroads to Freedom', which gives its title to the album, will captivate you with its game of six shamanic strings, almost hypnotic, flown over by Hendrix-style shivers. More jazzy, 'Please Don't Let Me Go' is the very type of song in which jazz pays homage to its blues roots, with this lineage that guitarists like Frank Zappa and Pat Metheny have perfectly succeeded and that Chris Dair forged his turn, with his talent.
A talent that we would like to see playing in France much more often and whose each album is a new discovery, a new very nice surprise.
Frankie Bluesy Pfeiffer & Dominique Boulay Paris-Move & Blues Magazine