Watermelon Slim -- Escape From The Chicken Coop (NorthernBlues Music).
Blues giant Watermelon Slim goes to the country heartland of Nashville for his latest offering and the opener, On Caterpillar Whine, the Nashville influence hits you right between the eyes. It’s where blues meets country with classy slide guitar from Slim, a high tempo and it is a very good start. Skinny Women and Fat Cigars is good time, honky tonk music and although you may try not to like it, you will not succeed. You See Me Like I See You is old time country where the additional vocal from Jenny Littleton fits in perfectly. Stuart Duncan on fiddle and Paul Franklin’s twanging steel guitar lend an air of authenticity. Slim has always made reference to his trucking days and this album is no different with tracks such as Wreck On The Highway. This has the mandolins and harmonised chorus’s that you would expect of mountain music. Friends On The Porch has some thoughts from the Watermelon man. This short poem is spoken throughout and is surprisingly not too much out of place. Should Have Done More is a tale of human inadequacy as Slim brings country to Nottingham, England. The overall grungy feel of the music compliments the pointed lyric very well.
Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life is a superb title and what a life Slim must have had. This is good old style country played in a contemporary way and may even get some people searching back and checking out old Hank himself. America’s Wives is another that mixes old and new country and has the obligatory steel guitar from Paul Franklin to the fore. The Way I Am is a statement from Slim and it is Nashville through and through. He has such an easy way and that steel guitar reverberates again. It’s Never Too Hard To Be Humble treads a well worn country theme of trucks, not surprising seeing that Slim was a trucker in a previous life. Slide guitar on this is a standout and it sounds like it was recorded in one take. It’s said that country music covers four main themes; prison, farms, trucks & trains and Slim more than covers the trucks theme. That is confirmed on the final three tracks. 300 Miles is a true American tale, the Honky Tonk Truck Drivin’ Songs continues the theme and things are rounded off perfectly with 18:18 Wheeler, which has the listener feeling like they are in a moving truck. Stuart Duncan’s fiddle keeps the pace up and makes it a true driving song.
This is a superb collection of Nashville inspired songs and well worth a place in your collection even if you don’t like country music. However, if you are looking for Slim’s blues side then check out his sublime last album, No Paid Holidays, with standout tracks such as the rich sounding Blues For Howard, the shuffling You’re The One I Need and the heart aching And When I Die.
http://www.northernblues.com/
http://www.watermelonslim.com/
David Blue.
Blues giant Watermelon Slim goes to the country heartland of Nashville for his latest offering and the opener, On Caterpillar Whine, the Nashville influence hits you right between the eyes. It’s where blues meets country with classy slide guitar from Slim, a high tempo and it is a very good start. Skinny Women and Fat Cigars is good time, honky tonk music and although you may try not to like it, you will not succeed. You See Me Like I See You is old time country where the additional vocal from Jenny Littleton fits in perfectly. Stuart Duncan on fiddle and Paul Franklin’s twanging steel guitar lend an air of authenticity. Slim has always made reference to his trucking days and this album is no different with tracks such as Wreck On The Highway. This has the mandolins and harmonised chorus’s that you would expect of mountain music. Friends On The Porch has some thoughts from the Watermelon man. This short poem is spoken throughout and is surprisingly not too much out of place. Should Have Done More is a tale of human inadequacy as Slim brings country to Nottingham, England. The overall grungy feel of the music compliments the pointed lyric very well.
Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life is a superb title and what a life Slim must have had. This is good old style country played in a contemporary way and may even get some people searching back and checking out old Hank himself. America’s Wives is another that mixes old and new country and has the obligatory steel guitar from Paul Franklin to the fore. The Way I Am is a statement from Slim and it is Nashville through and through. He has such an easy way and that steel guitar reverberates again. It’s Never Too Hard To Be Humble treads a well worn country theme of trucks, not surprising seeing that Slim was a trucker in a previous life. Slide guitar on this is a standout and it sounds like it was recorded in one take. It’s said that country music covers four main themes; prison, farms, trucks & trains and Slim more than covers the trucks theme. That is confirmed on the final three tracks. 300 Miles is a true American tale, the Honky Tonk Truck Drivin’ Songs continues the theme and things are rounded off perfectly with 18:18 Wheeler, which has the listener feeling like they are in a moving truck. Stuart Duncan’s fiddle keeps the pace up and makes it a true driving song.
This is a superb collection of Nashville inspired songs and well worth a place in your collection even if you don’t like country music. However, if you are looking for Slim’s blues side then check out his sublime last album, No Paid Holidays, with standout tracks such as the rich sounding Blues For Howard, the shuffling You’re The One I Need and the heart aching And When I Die.
http://www.northernblues.com/
http://www.watermelonslim.com/
David Blue.
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