Doug MacLeod - Whose Truth, Whose Lies? (2000)

In 2000, you would have been hard-pressed to find a more lowdown blues-oriented recording than singer/guitarist Doug MacLeod's Whose Truth, Whose Lies?, which should appeal to anyone who likes his/her blues dark, shadowy, and moody. This isn't a CD that tries to win you over with slickness; whether MacLeod is going electric or acoustic, he obviously identifies with the simplicity and honesty that characterized the country blues artists of the '30s and '40s. Not that Whose Truth, Whose Lies? sounds like a recording from that time. MacLeod's lyrics obviously aren't pre-World War II lyrics, and he has been influenced by soul, rock, and folk as well as country and urban blues. Not everything on this superb album adheres to a 12-bar format, and some of the tunes fall into the folk category. But even when he is getting into a folk or R&B groove, MacLeod can always be counted on to provide a wealth of blues feeling. Whose Truth, Whose Lies? may not be the work of a purist, but it is certainly compelling. (Alex Henderson)