IN CONCERT
Colin James
Where: Royal Theatre
When: Tonight, doors 6: 30 p.m.,
show 7: 30 p.m.
Tickets: $45.50, $59.50 (250 386-6121)
He may be a middle-aged dad. But the flame still burns brightly.
So says Colin James, 48, performing tonight at the Royal Theatre. He and his band touched down in Victoria as part of a cross-country tour, supporting his new album, Fifteen.
"The fire burns the same. It's just the same as it's always been. I love it like crazy," James said recently from Vancouver, where he lives.
It's been a quarter-century since James, a fleet-fingered guitar slinger, released his debut disc. His latest offering, Fifteen, is a mix of rock and R&B with the occasional pop-tinged ballad. It's his 15th recording.
It's been a long road. He emerged as a Stevie Ray Vaughan prot脙漏g脙漏, touring sa国际传媒 with the late guitar hero in the early 1980s.
Early on, James fashioned himself as a Vaughan-like stage burner, with testosterone-fuelled singles like Voodoo Thing.
Later, he explored other avenues. His Little Big Band - a neo-jump blues experiment - was a surprise hit, riding the crest of the 1990s swing revival. In 2007, James won more new fans with his version of Van Morrison's Into the Mystic, an adult contemporary radio favourite revealing a mellower side.
Today, James says he's still having fun - but is frustrated by shrinking radio exposure. For instance, one of his new songs, Shed a Little Light, is a gospel-inflected pop bal-lad. He fears there's no room for it on radio now, as many adult-oriented stations (especially those embracing the "hot adult contemporary" format) prefer artists such as Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.
"I have no venue for Shed a Little Light Now," he said. "You just have to take it on the nose and go, 'Well, I'm going to play through no matter what.' ... Maybe adjust accordingly and stop making records geared to radio at all."
That's not to say James isn't popular. He's still a strong concert draw, as evidenced by his pair of sold-out nights at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom last weekend.
On the road, the big challenge is deciding what songs to add to the set list.
Twenty-five years of recording will do that to a guy. On this tour, James has started shows with a half-dozen songs from the new disc before offering an assortment of hits and other older tunes.
Having a surplus of strong material is a mixed blessing, says James. It's never easy to please all the fans - especially those whose favourite song is omitted.
"It's quite amazing. Every night I'll think, that was a nice mix. And then someone will berate me for not playing Five Long Years. It's like you can't win," he said, laughing.
As well as original compositions (which found James co-writing with Tom Wilson, Gordie Johnson and Ron Sexsmith), Fifteen contains some carefully chosen covers.
These include Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley (an Allen Toussaint song popularized by Robert Palmer), John Lennon's Jealous Guy and Oh Well, an early Fleetwood Mac hit.
He got the chance to meet and play with Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood a couple of years ago. James was invited to Maui to play a New Year's Eve charity show in 2010 with Fleetwood, Alice Cooper and members of the Doobie Brothers and Metallica.
James says Fleetwood was interested in permanently adding James and Jonny Lang as guitarists in his band. The plan fell apart after a member of Fleetwood's group protested and threatened to quit. However, James did get to play Black Magic Woman and Shake Your Moneymaker with his hero.
After such a long and storied career, one might wonder why James hasn't yet written an autobiography.
In fact, he says he was approached by Victoria writer Chris Gudgeon to collaborate on one. James was interested, but ultimately decided he had too much on his plate.
As ever, the music comes first.
"I just want to make records, man," James said. " I just want to make better and better and better records."
