Mike 'Dr Blue' McKeon is a real Blues caricature. Sporting faded jeans, a pork pie hat, paisley shirt and a rugged beard, he truly brings the spirit of the genre to life in both appearance and through song. Armed with an acoustic guitar and occasionally a harmonica, McKeon is able to showcase his soulful new album ‘Heaven Bound’, a stripped-down approach which is perfect for the intimate setting of the Aerie bar.McKeon has been favourably compared to Tom Waits in the past, and whilst I believe there is little about his time-honoured blues ballads that calls forth Waits's more experimental, eccentric style, McKeon's gravelly vocals are a nod to Waits's trademark growl. The singer often plays around with the dynamics of his voice, switching from falteringly soft to clarion howl several times in one song. It is mesmerising to listen to, and quite a shame when McKeon speaks to the audience during interims in a noticeably more high-pitched, clear-cut accent. This shattering of illusion did not seem to deter the enthusiastic audience, who kept up an energetic toe-tapping throughout, and sang loudly during rare moments of requested participation. For a free show tucked away in a rather hard-to-find back alley of Edinburgh, McKeon has done well to welcome in such a large, supportive crowd. The tone of his material is enjoyable, if a bit hammy at times, from the innuendo-laden 'Sugar in your Coffee' to the Robert Johnson inspired 'Hear the Devil Calling.' So faithful is McKeon to old Blues tropes that he occasionally borders on unintentional parody. Further familiar topics of treacherous women, drinking into oblivion and freight trains all feature in the set, and whilst it would have been nice to see McKeon be a bit more imaginative, it is worth remembering that he is, after all, 'Dr Blue’ and traditional 'Devil's Music' is what he loves. Although McKeon is not the world's most accomplished Blues guitarist and the venue lights were a tad too bright to create an appropriate atmosphere, he still illustrates his traditional twelve-bar chord progressions and evocative lyrics well. This is a pleasurable celebration of an engaging genre by a man who remains steadfastly connected to its roots, a robust old Blues purist who would do Son House, BB King or any of the other Blues legend proud.
