Never mind his landmark production work with Bob Dylan for right now. (Or with Brian Eno, U2, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson, the Neville Brothers … look it up; the list goes on.) Forget about the Grammys, Junos, and all the awards he’s won. Even the couldn’t-escape-it-if-you-tried thunder of his trademark “sonics” as applied to Neil Young’s recent Le Noise – don’t worry about it right now.

Today’s subject is Daniel Lanois the bandleader; Daniel Lanois the guitarist/vocalist; Daniel Lanois focusing all his “studio rat” energies on the self-titled effort from his band Black Dub. Over the course of the album’s 11 tracks, Lanois and company (drummer Brian Blade, bassist Daryl Johnson, and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Trixie Whitley) manage to somehow blur the lines between reggae, soul, gospel, blues, funk, and rock. And they blur it well.

You might expect anyone who’s lived the life that Daniel Lanois has to have a bit of an ego, but during our recent conversation, he was nothing but friendly, warm, and – yes – humble. When I mention to Daniel that I’d enjoyed his new memoir Soul Mining: A Musical Life, he replies with a little chuckle: “Oh, man – thank you. I’m so nervous about that, you know?”

I’d forgotten that it was being released the day we were talking; he apparently hadn’t – nor did he take a warm reception for granted.

Ask me to sum up Daniel Lanois in 50 words or less? I can do it in one: passion.

Read my interview with Daniel at Jambands.com