SPENCER MACKENZIE, a Juno and Maple Blues Award winner, will release his new album, “Empty Chairs,” on Friday, February 20th, through Gypsy Soul Records.
Ross Hayes Citrullo, guitarist for The Commoners, produced the new album. Citrullo also has two Juno nominations for his production, mixing, and engineering work, plus an Emmy Award for recording and mixing.
Mackenzie’s inter-connective phrasing, his mellow mood, and his passionate live performances are widely praised; Mackenzie creates songs that profoundly impact sullen atmospheres.
The musician has spent nearly a decade creating and recording his genuine blues music, showcasing the pure honesty and true passion that the blues genre demands. Mackenzie’s music is so natural and so fully ingrained that it feels as if it flows through him rather than being played across the frets of a guitar. Keen listeners will find that his music’s vibrant, contagious energy immediately immerses them in the true pulses of the blues.
With remarkable elegance and fluency of style, the young performer delivers an unforgettable, and all-encompassing performance…
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Mackenzie’s powerful live shows, his soulful recordings, and his fluid expression coupled with an unrivaled artistic energy, could lead one to believe he was born and raised on Beale Street, Memphis; actually he’s from Southern Ontario! Still, the distinguished performer has become recognized internationally. With remarkable elegance and fluency of style, the young performer delivers an unforgettable, and always all-encompassing performance.
Mackenzie explores the legacy of blues legends on “Empty Chairs” while also being influenced by the bold spirit of contemporary blues-rock artists. The album boasts dynamic guitar, memorable riffs, flowing organ passages, emotive vocals, and a robust rhythm section. In many respects, this song collection perfectly captures the artist’s reflective vibe.
For example, the re-imagined “Don’t Know Where I’m Going” (Rory Gallagher) showcases impressive, gritty guitar sounds and a dynamic rhythm section. The release of this single in January 2026 indicated the increasing momentum behind Mackenzie’s anticipated album.
the guitar sizzles in the sun,
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complemented by a voice that’s
part jackshaft oil
and part sandstone grit…
“Shoot Me Down” (video shared below) is a raw exploration of one-sided love and the strain of carrying a relationship alone. Consequently, the track evokes a somber mood with inspiring slide guitar and raw, difficult rhythms. Agonizing tonalities, like a tattered and glittering blues-bleat, frame the passionate vocal lines. To put it another way, “Shoot Me Down” is angular and extremely spiky.
“What You Do” is a dynamic rock song with a driving beat, organ flourishes, and rapid guitar riffs. Like acid on a new Corvette’s paint, the guitar sizzles in the sun, complemented by a voice that’s part jackshaft oil and part sandstone grit.
This album is full of lived-life and it emerges fully-formed and bracingly brisk!
Yes, SPENCER MACKENZIE Honours His Forebears on Empty Chairs.
Get the album here: https://www.spencermackenzie.ca/
https://lnk.fuga.com/spencermackenzie_emptychairs
Main photo: o © Stephane Bourgeois
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