Montreal Gazette, Mike Regenstreif, November 15, 2007
KEN WHITELEY One World Dance, Borealis/Koch
Whether as solo artist, collaborator; sideman or producer; Toronto’s Ken Whiteley has long been one of the most valuable players on the Canadian blues, gospel and folk music scenes. This time around, Whiteley is mostly in a stylistically-broad blues mode offering tracks that range from a powerful acoustic arrangement of Death letter Blues, Son House’s Delta blues standard to tightly arranged electric band tracks like Whiteley’s own Everybody has the Blues featuring one of Amos Garrett’s patented electric guitar solos. On the title track, Whiteley enlists Mark Mosca steel drums and Cuban percussionist Mario del Monte to deftly fuse strains of blues and world music. The most infectious number is That’s When I Need a Song, a kind of secular gospel tune.