Lowri Evans – Kick The Sand (Fflach).

From the Welsh town of Haverfordwest, Lowri Evans has been steeped in music since the age of seven. She was a member of the all-girl group, Stella, with whom she released two EP’s before splitting up in 2002. After a couple of solo EP’s and contributions to compilation albums, she released her debut album, in Welsh, last year and quickly follows it up with this collection of ten self-penned songs and one marvellous cover. Can’t Decide is laid back, blues influenced, with acoustic guitar (Lee Mason), a bass player (Andy Coughlan) making his influence felt from the outset and keyboard player Wyn Jones sweeping up on a yard brush! Not At Maria’s places her firmly in the singer-songwriter field filled by those such as Janis Ian and the like. She’s much like Michelle Shocked, without the shock. Another string to her bow is the sweet, candy coated pop of the piano song, Lifetime. There are not too many U2 covers around and it does take a certain amount of bravery to take one on, so was With Or Without You a good move? She gives it an acoustic treatment and the addition of Nerys Richards on cello is a telling one, all of which makes it a surprising success. She’s back to the gentle, and rather twee, side for I’m Not In Love With You but Sorry Smokey is slightly better and her voice is becoming strangely familiar. It would be very easy to label her as a challenger to Natalie Imbruglia.

The title track is one of the highlights and is a piano classic in the making. She turns to her native tongue for Merch Y Myny and I apologise if my Welsh is not up to date to allow me to translate. This only sounds strange because you are not used to listening to the language and she has to be applauded for sticking to her roots and, with a melody that is excellent, it doesn’t really matter if you can’t understand her anyway. Conscience is gentle and she really sings from the heart. I think that she would benefit greatly from performing in small, intimate venues as I think that her voice would be best suited to those. Another piano ballad follows in the form of Me. This is a high end, Stevie Nicks type of song and confirms her as a top class song-writing talent for the future. She finishes with Mountain Girl (the English version of Merch Y Myny for us mono-linguists); another soft and gentle song but I would not have it any other way. It’s a welcome return to guitar for this and it conjures up visions of Welsh mountains and crystal clear streams. Lowrie Evans has a massive song-writing talent and a lovely voice, to boot. My only criticism is that she lacks a little edge in her delivery.

http://www.lowrieevansmusic.co.uk/
http://www.fflach.co.uk/

David Blue.

Chris Duarte Group – Blue Velocity (Provogue).

The Chris Duarte Group comes from Austin, Texas and Duarte follows in the steps of Stevie Ray Vaughan, whom he has been compared to on many an occasion. He finished fourth behind Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and B.B. King is 1995s Guitar Reader’s poll so you can imagine what a talent we have here. His previous four albums were all critically acclaimed and I’m sure that this will join the list. Amy Lee is stomping blues rock on which Duarte uses sustain to great effect and grinds it out to the end. Things go a bit more up-tempo on Do It Again and this has more of a vintage feel. Dextrous guitar playing and a classic rock voice make this a favourite. Damien Lewis’ rolling drums guide us through Hard Mind but when Duarte unleashes his guitar, the whole tone changes. This is good time music, played by a top practitioner and although it is over 7 minutes long, it certainly does not feel it. The opening to Something Wicked blew me away and this has power all the way. Don’t fall for the sedate opening bars and turn up the volume – you are liable to go deaf very quickly. When the vocal comes in, things slow down to an epic blues and blues with such feeling. At over 13 minutes long it sits with the classic tracks of the seventies – get your air guitar out! The pace picks up again for I’ll Never Know, another rocker on which Duarte funks it up. The vocal is a little detached at times but there is no doubting his guitar credentials. The rhythm section deserves special mention for Dustin Sargent’s pulsating bass and pounding drums from Lewis.

Sun Prairie Blues is a laconic blues with a not so PC lyric but many blues songs fall into that category. Guitar and voice are in complete synchronicity and he keeps things simple, apart from his solo where he rips it up. Never Gonna Change is a total wall of sound with the full band on a rocking tip but R U 4 Real? (I hate text language) is probably the weakest track on the album. Even Duarte’s guitar pyrotechnics fail to save this strange one and it is far too long at just under 9 minutes. He is back on form with the straightforward rocker, Out In The Rain and follows it up with a standard electric 12 bar blues, Leave Her Be. This Chicago style blues has a ringing guitar and heavily accented vocals and hits the spot. It’s a heavy finish as the band takes it to the limit with Met My Match. It’s short, it’s sweet and it’s a great way to finish.

Provogue keeps coming up with more and more top class guitarists and long may it continue.

http://www.provoguerecords.com/

David Blue.

The Rounders – Wish I Had You (Blind Pig).

Oklahoma City based five-piece outfit, The Rounders are a young band that are beginning to make a splash in the swimming pool of the blues. This, their debut for Blind Pig opens with God Knows I’m Tryin’, an uncomplicated, energetic opener with pulsating bass from Dave Spindle. The eponymous title track is another hypnotic one that fits firmly into the blues/rock category. My Getaway is a blues chugger with dual guitars (Ryan Taylor and Michael Stone), one on slide, playing in tandem. There is a Cajun feel to the simply executed You Know Better Than That and Through No fault of my own is a brash, brooding rocker with fuzzed vocal from Brian Whitten and harp. They show us another string to their bow on Oh My Dear Mind, which is fast paced, easy going Country.

When It’s Bad is a stomper and so different from the previous track. Ryan and Stone really get down on this blues rocker, ably backed by Stu Williamson on drums. It’s back to Country, with a little Cajun beat, for Oh Why. This is happy music – turn it on if you feel down. Let Me Talk At You continues the interchange between Country and rock. This is another with a fuzzed vocal and confirms their comfort in different genres. Their ease with each other is here for all to hear. Wait For Me is more of a straightforward blues, played in a Muddy Waters style. There is that fuzzed vocal again – is it my headphones? Guitar and harp meld well here. Leave My Trunk Behind is an R&B crossover with a 60s feel and It Wasn’t My Baby is an old style Chicago blues. They close with the fast-paced Goodbye George and its excellent slide guitar.

The Rounders is a good, down to earth band and there will always be a place for them in my collection.

http://www.blindpigrecords.com/
http://www.the-rounders.com/

David Blue.

Chris Whitley & Jeff Lang – Dislocation Blues (ABC Records).

This album was recorded seven months before Chris Whitley’s untimely death due to cancer and it is a fitting piece of work to remember him by. Vocal flits between wispy and pronounced power on the opener, Stagger Lee. This is a slow, brooding version of the famous song with acoustic backing, electric slide and a throbbing drum beat from Ashley Davies. Twelve Thousand Miles is a gutsy blues with excellent, equally gutsy guitar. Bob Dylan’s When I Paint My Masterpiece is a wall of sound with Whitley and Lang both on form with this grinder. Rocket House is country blues at the start but runs into a contemporary urban blues. There is some excellent slide guitar from both of them and what a loss Whitley is – hypnotic. The Road Leads Down has, quite simply, superb. They manage to get the ethos of the pre-war Delta and bring it slap bang up to date on the eponymous title track.

Forever In My Life has, as with the rest, a broody undercurrent. The use of Dobro on the album has been a masterstroke, none more so than on Velocity Girl. Unfortunately, the vocal on this is not as good is has been on others but the jagged guitar makes up for that. Ravenswood is airy but the voice goes a couple of times. Underground is completely different from those that have gone before. Electric, grungy guitar with a fuzzed vocal, it is almost demonic. Their voices differ but compliment each other and this is highlighted on the second Dylan cover, Changing Of The Guard. The breathless quality of the vocal is counterbalanced by the snappy guitar. Motion Bride is the last noted track and starts off in a sea shanty style with banjo to the fore. However, there is a short silence and then the guitars take over for a very ethereal rendition of Robert Johnson’s Hellhound On My Trail. This is followed by another, Kick The Stones I believe it to be, and the whole thing lasts over 11 minutes with a live track at the end. Not altogether unnecessary but it would have been good if they could have listed these tracks.

http://www.warnermusic.com.au/

David Blue.

Hallam Foe Original Soundtrack (Domino).

Orange Juice starts off this more than slightly Scottish tinged soundtrack of the recently released, critically acclaimed film, Hallam Foe. Their contribution is Blue Boy, an upbeat pleasure with Edwyn Collins on top form (good to hear that he is fighting his way back to fitness). The guitar is all over the place, as it normally is, and there are punk influences and a great chorus. UNPOC, from The Fence Collective whose highest profile member is currently King Creosote, gives us Here On My Own. This acoustic offering with its shouted chorus is deceptively catchy. King Creosote makes a short appearance as well and he confirms his status as a newly found major label act on The Somewhere Else. He has grown as a performer and this will enhance his standing with the harmonium giving a seafaring feel. Sons And Daughters are another band that are making a name for themselves and their brand of Indie rock on Broken Bones will fit in well with the target audience for the film. Junior Boys contribute the uninspiring electronica of Double Shadow and Clinic lift the album again with their rousing rocker If I Could Read Your Mind. Future Pilot AKA send in the heavy dub on Battle At The Gates Of Dub – highly addictive but very short.

Hood gives us the relaxing Lines Low To Frozen Ground and the headline band, Franz Ferdinand contributes Hallam Foe Dandelion Blow. This has a flighty and acoustic introduction and is a bit of a surprise – I’ll say no more. Psapp gives us Tricycle, which takes us back to the gentler side but it sounds like someone pulling a zip up and down at one point though – don’t ask!! Surf Song from James Yorkston & The Athletes remains on the gentle side. It’s just guitar and voice with a little accordion in the background. Great alt. folk from the Fence Collective stalwarts. The Bill Wells Trio chips in with Also In White, the great slogan from the back of many a transit van. This has electric piano and harmonica for most of the piece and harks back to the days of Larry Adler. Salvese Quien Pueda from Juana Molina is tender, almost child like and is a surprising favourite and Cinema’s They Nicknamed Me Evil is very ethereal, very Tubular Bells. The sedate feel continues with I Hope That You Get What You Want from Woodbine but it’s difficult without seeing the film to see how well the songs fit in. The album closes with Movietone’s Ocean Song, another slow one although it does build up towards the end.

As I say, it would probably be best to see the film first but there are a number of tracks here that stand up in their own rite.

http://www.dominorecordco.com/

David Blue.

John Dee Holeman & The Waifs Band – John Dee Holeman & The Waifs Band (Music Maker).

Born in 1929, John Dee Holeman is an original bluesman and here he teams up with the young Australian folk/rock band The Waifs for a surreal session that resulted in this gem of an album. They open with a straightforward version of the country blues classic, John Henry and follow it up with the electric blues of Country Gal. This is delivered at a pedestrian pace but the delta/Chicago hybrid is the real deal. Mojo Hand is another, no messing electric blues and the band gives it to us, warts and all. This is a rough diamond with a live feel to it. The strangely titled Give Me Back My Wig gives the harmonica player, Vikki Thorn, a chance to step out of the shadows and she does excel on this rustic offering. I’m A Pilgrim is acoustic, traditional and fantastic.

The tracks keep on coming and Coming Home To You is a classic blues. The first slight disappointment is Elmore James’ Dust My Broom. I’ve been brought up on powerful versions of this song and Holman’s just doesn’t do it for me. Next up is Little Queenie but I could swear that I was listening to Reelin’ and Rockin’ – someone has got his Chuck Berry tunes mixed up! This shows how wide reaching Chuck Berry’s influence is. They return to electric delta style blues for I Miss You Huggin’ and they turn in an unpolished performance that demonstrates how sweet music can be. Looking Yonder Comin’ is country acoustic blues and harks back to days gone by. If there is a style to pin to Holeman then this is it. They finish with the classic Baby, Please Don’t Go – often covered, few better.

http://www.musicmaker.org/

David Blue.

The Carvin Jones Band – I’m What You Need (Own Label).

Carvin Jones has been voted in the world’s Top 50 guitarists in Guitarist Magazine and this album confirms that status. Jones and the band open with the eponymous title track, a rousing blues with gunslinger guitar and vocal duet with Roscoe Taylor. You Drive Me Crazy has fuzzed guitar to introduce this slow burner. Strawberry Shortcake is R&B with Steven Von Wald’s saxophone introduced to good effect. Carvin shreds up the fretboard on this instrumental which also has a clever piano break from Tim Furkes. Drownin’ On Dry Land is a strong Chicago blues but with an unnecessary trumpet in the background. It is too much of a conflict with Jones’ guitar, which overpowers everything. Born To Win is a fast paced R&B with stinging guitar. The excellent Patrick Riley on drums keeps the whole thing together.

They stay with R&B for Havin’ A Bad Day and this confirms that Jones’ guitar is the star. Excellent horns on this as well. The slightly familiar instrumental, Lightning & Ice is a fast paced, shuffling blues on which Furkes gets his share of the limelight. The electrifying guitar of Jones heralds Stuck In The Mud; a familiar tale of a lost job, no money and a woman leaving. This down on my luck blues at its best. There is a little more power to Roscoe Taylor’s voice on One Night Stand, an R&B/Soul crossover with Jones’ guitar piercing the sky. Miss You Baby is a rolling blues with a return to his smokey voice and prominent piano from Furkes. Wanna Walk Witcha Baby is another rolling blues and they finish off with I Need Your Sweet Lovin’, a slow, delta blues with a primeval feel. Simple guitar and voice is a fine way to finish.

Eric Clapton thinks that Carvin Jones is the next up-and-coming blues player and I am not about to argue with him.

www.carvinjones.com

David Blue.

Omar Kent Dykes & Jimmie Vaughan – On The Jimmy Reed Highway (Ruf Records).

Mississippian Dykes and Texan Vaughan take a road trip in honour of one of the blues greats. Opening with the eponymous title track, we have Dykes’ growling vocal over a mid-paced boogie although Vaughan’s guitar is a little shaky at times. Reed’s own Baby What You Do To Me/Bright Lights, Big City is a strolling blues on which the use of Kim Wilson’s harmonica is to good effect. There is a seamless change between the two songs, the second of which is a classic, of course. Here, their voices go well together. Willie Dixon’s Big Boss Man has Wilson’s harmonica out again whilst Vaughan keeps up the rhythm and snappy drums from Wes Starr underpins the whole thing. The First of four Reed songs, Good Lover, is a swinging blues with Lou Ann Barton on vocal, answered by Dykes. There is a good interaction between them on this, one of the best tracks on offer. They slow things down for Caress Me Baby and Dykes continues to exchange vocal with Barton. Wailing harp from James Cotton, an emotion-laden vocal and some of Jimmie Vaughan’s best guitar work makes for a top song.

Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth is played in a Jimmy Reed style and Vaughan gets to take over. There is more lead guitar than on the others and he carries it off well – no fireworks, just steady playing. You Upset My Mind continues in the Reed style – a slow shuffle with plenty of harp from Kim Wilson. Dykes as the authentic voice for this. I’ll Change My Style is a Country blues with staccato guitar from Vaughan that fills in very well. Eddie Taylor’s Bad Boy is a mid-paced 12-bar that turns into a bit of a jam in the middle and allows Vaughan to shine. Baby What’s Wrong is another Reed song and is faster than most. This has Dykes grinding his way through. Gary Primich on harmonica, however, takes centre stage. The final Reed song, Hush Hush, is a grinder with Dykes continuing his gruff vocal with some vocal and harmonica from Delbert McClinton. You Make Me Laugh is standard fare to finish with and Primich almost makes his harmonica talk.

http://www.rufrecords.de/

David Blue.