Maturity, style, restraint, and confidence mark the Vancouver string-bender's first album of his thirties, one that smartly balances Memphis-styled originals with elegant deep blues covers (Howlin' Wolf's "Forty-Four," Robert Johnson's "Walkin' Blues"). The classiest track on a very classy disc is "Freedom," a rich, horn-driven slow burner featuring Mavis. Once a likeable bantamweight, James is evolving fast into a heavyweight contemporary bluesman. --Jeff Bateman