Colin Dussault

Colin Dussault may have forgotten more gigs than most local acts ever play. For a decade and a half, the husky harmonica player-singer-songwriter has crisscrossed the region, setting up shop on innumerable bandstands. His outfit has been tagged "the hardest-working band in Northeast Ohio" time and time again. The ultimate evidence of Dussault's longevity, however, is his catalog of discs -- sizable enough to extract a "Best of" package.

Dussault has plucked a lively and diverse cross section from the thousands of sets he's led. A rocking piano drives sentimental standard "Fire and Rain" into unlikely territory -- a soul romp more suited to Joe Cocker than James Taylor. Dance-floor funk follows on "Good Booty & BBQ." The versatility of Dussault and his writing partners is obvious on both classic country ("18 Wheels, Dust & Diesel") and the more pastoral ("Tidioute, Pennsylvania"). Considering Dussault's track record and work habits, a Best of, Volume Two is not unlikely.