The Why & Wherefores –Alright (Dusty Records).

This is Emily Druce & Steve Jones’ latest incarnation and they stray slightly from the blues path with roots and rockabilly coming into play. Joining Druce & Jones in The Why + Wherefores are Martin Wydell on tuba & sousaphone, Marc Layton-Bennett on drums & percussion and John Barker on lap steel. Alright takes them away from the blues and they go electric. This is a very Bohemian, jaunty opener. Black And White has gentle sounds with Neil Innes guesting ob bassand Rev Gal takes them back into the blues arena as Jones takes on the vocal. This is a beefed up electric blues with added percussion from Layton-Bennett -- high impact blues rock. The One I Left Behind has Druce back on vocals and Innes on bass for this uptempo swing blues and one of familiar territory. Rough Diamond is slowed down and folk influenced. Druce’s fiddle gives that boho feel to Wolf which has them swapping the vocals again.

Rollin’ And Tumblin’ is not a blues as you would expect from the title but a return to Bohemia. Illuminated is early Eddi Reader in delivery and pleasant enough without being outstanding. Way Out West has a punctuated bass and this lays the foundation for a laid back groove. I feel that the fiddle is a little unnecessary on this one though. I Thought I Loved Somebody Else is a heavier blues based thumper and far better than the pretty stuff in my opinion. Last Go Round is another slinky one and they finish with a brave cover (the only cover on the album) of Bob Marley’s Lively Up Yourself. This is slower than the original but it does maintain the slight reggae feel that has just been under the surface on some of the earlier tracks. However, it is not up to the standard of the original but the slide guitar is a bit of a novelty.

www.myspace.com/thewhywherefores

David Blue.

Danny Bryant’s Red Eye Band –Watching You (Roots Collectibles).

Fans have been crying out for the re-release of Danny Bryant’s 2002 debut album and now the wait is over. On its original release the album was declared as marking the arrival of a new blues star and given his most recent success with 2008’s Black And White, it makes sense to go back and see how much he has progressed. The eponymous title track is a rousing start and the type of chugging blues rocker that he has gone on to perfect. Since You’re Gone highlights the early guitar skills and it is there for all to hear. This slow Chicago blues has added gritty vocals and it is no surprise to see him performing so well today when this is where he started! Living In The Lions Den is an acoustic based rocker with a strong vocal whereas Crying For My Baby shouts out Status Quo with a strong mid-paced boogie. Search For You is slow and atmospheric. It’s not his best vocal but confirms he was a raw talent. Nothing raw about his guitar work however.

Heartbreaker is another mid-paced rocker with the flaming guitar licks that he now performs with aplomb. Purple is a pleasant instrumental with superb guitar and a big solo spot for Bryant. Follow On has that gritty vocal again and it is very well suited to this big rock ballad. Dancing Girl starts out as an acoustic led slide blues and then boom, in comes the electric guitar and the rest of the band as they turn it into a good, thumping rocker. Falling Tears sounds as if it has a piano into before it leads into a surging power ballad. It’s pretty standard stuff but another bulging solo from Bryant confirms his early class.

This is a good point of reference for those who bought Black And White and want to dig out Danny Bryant’s roots.

http://www.continental.nl/

David Blue.