Doug MacLeod - Break The Chain

2018 Blues Music Awards Acoustic Album of the Year!

New music from Blues Music Awards winner for Acoustic Artist, Doug Macleod

"Like all good blues storytellers, Doug MacLeod sings and speaks the truth. Indeed, the blues as a medium of truth telling appears throughout his latest release, Break the Chain. ... MacLeod and co-producer Janice Mancuso eschewed the type of post-production work that erases errors and sweetens the mix. The producers even banned overdubs. Break the Chain, MacLeod asserts, reflects 'music made by humans, for humans.' The music is as truthful as it is beautiful and sublime." — Living Blues, October 2017

"Doug MacLeod, a craftsman of rare skill and sagacity, share more than a few dramatic affinities with past greats as he offers his own creative parameters to the common 12-bar language. ... distinctive, well-regulated singing and note-bending on classic guitars stimulate the keening hopefulness... (performed) with five assured sidemen, including his son Jesse on guitar. One topical spoken track, 'What the Blues Means To Me,' affirms life's light amid the darkness." — 4 Stars, Downbeat Magazine, November 2017

"Recorded live by Grammy-winning engineer Keith O. Johnson at Skywalker Sound and processed in HDCD, Break the Chain allows the vocals and sparse acoustic instrumentation to pop right out of my KEF LS50s." — Music = 4/5; Sonics = 5/5 — Greg Cahill, The Absolute Sound, October 2017

Break The Chain, the new album from the three-time Blues Music Awards winner for Best Acoustic Artist, Doug Macleod, shows a serious side with its title track.

On Break The Chain, Doug continues to explore the breadth and depth of the human condition. Each of the 12 new original songs is extremely personal and at the same time, universal: covering subjects topical, humorous, and soulful; from the satirical to the sublime.

The title work, "Break The Chain," composed and performed with his son, Jesse, focuses on breaking the cycle of family violence and abuse. A powerful concern all too many are familiar with, Doug and Jesse confront this pervasive issue directly and personally, bringing it out of the shadows. Together, they share the healing, reconciliation and peace available to all who work to prevent the cycle from repeating and to "Break The Chain."

Break The Chain will be released on compact disc in high-res HDCD, high-res download and later as a premium 2LP set.