Tas Cru is a Canadian singer/songwriter/guitarist from Quebec, Canada and he’s been impressing audiences all over the U.S. and Canada with his highly original songwriting, his rough and ragged vocals, and his slide guitar work. His third release, on his own Crustee Tees Records, is called Grizzle n’ Bone, and proves that he is a force to be reckoned with on the blues circuit, as is his band, the Slow Happy Boys (Jeremy Walz – guitars, Chris Wroblewski – bass, Andy Hearn –drums).

Cru (whose name translate to “raw potato” in Quebecois) wrote 12 of the 13 tracks on the disc and they’re a varied lot, ranging from the title cut, a rocking little number featuring Cru’s slide work and sparkling keyboard work from Chip Lamson, to the bluesy “One Eyed Jack,” to the a capella gospel cut, “Come To Testify,” to “The Prophet of Lynchburg,” which has a hint of bluegrass mixed in.

Other highlights include “Tulsa Tornado,” about a force of nature (but not the type you might think), “Woman Won’t You Love Me,” which features some more of that tasty slide guitar, and “Money Talks,” a sinewy hard rocker. “Let’s Just Pretend” is a pensive acoustic number, which is followed by “Brand New Shoes,” which will bring to mind (along with “Tulsa Tornado”) the Oklahoma roots rocker J. J. Cale. “Make My Woman Cry” features Cru’s raw vocals along with his Resonator slide guitar.

The closing track is the lone cover on the disc, Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher.” Cru transforms it from its frantic R&B/soul origin into a breathtakingly slow country blues with a gospel vocal backdrop (courtesy of the Stacked Deck Singers – Jenny Macri, Meaghan Manor, and Montana Rodriguez). It’s safe to say that this is an arrangement of this song that you’ve never heard before and it deserves to be heard.

Actually, the entire disc is of the same quality. Grizzle n’ Bone deserves to be heard by fans of blues and roots music. Tas Cru writes great songs, has a great, lived-in vocal style, and his slide guitar can peel the paint off a wall. Give this one a listen.