The Law – Trigger (Local Boy Records).

Dundee 4 piece return with the follow up to their highly acclaimed 2009 debut, A Measure Of Wealth. Their sound has become more expansive and comparisons to many acts are there to hear on the sweeping vocals of Gimme Some Love (Fratellis & The View), the folksy rock of Holiday (Oasis), the country rock of All Over Your Mind (Fleetwood Mac/Lindsey Buckingham), My Lover (Crowded House) and Shadow (It Isn’t Me) (The La’s/Cast). Highlights are the aforementioned All Over Your Mind, Shadow (It Isn’t Me) and My Lover along with the soul searching epic, Letter.

The Law could easily be Scotland’s next big thing.

http://www.thelawmusic.com/

David Blue.

Philipp Fankhauser – Try My Love (Funk House Blues Production).

Often put in the same bracket as Chris Rea and John Mayer but not as well known, this is Swiss native Fankhauser’s twelfth album. Try My Love is a selection of sympathetically produced songs that brings out the best in him. Songs such as the big band blues of Make My Home Where I Lay My Hat sit comfortably beside soulful ballads like the eponymous title track and Please Come On Home. Production levels reach a high with one of the four live ‘encores’ , Down On Bended Knees, which has superb input from the horn section. He flirts with Country on the hidden gem, Roadhouse & Automobiles as well as with funk on It’s Gonna Rain. However, it is in the blues where Fankhauser seems happiest. This is heard on the swinging Jealous Kinda Fella, the mid-paced strolling blues of Cut Me Some Slack and Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark. Special mention has to be made of the Johnny Copeland written Flyin’ High (Yesterday), a superb quick paced stroller and is essential Philipp Fankhauser.

http://www.philippfankhauser.com/
David Blue.

Jon Amor Blues Group – Jon Amor Blues Group (Six Six Records).

Jon Amor, formerly of The Hoax, has returned to his blues roots for this eponymous album. Opening with the gritty blues rock of Holy Water the band then serves up Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters inspired blues in the shape of Juggernaut, Make It Your Trouble and Repeat Offender, the latter of the three being a grungy pleasure. There are riffs overflowing on the R&B/Blues crossover of Sweetheart and the rocker Angel In A Black Dress. Blues rock continues on The Underdogs and She Thought I Was An Eagle but it’s the pared down gritty, slow blues of When Your Time Comes that stands out. They close with a straight down the line rocker, You Know It’s Only Love. I can’t wait for the next one!
http://www.johnamorbluesgroup.co.uk/
David Blue.

Liam Tarpey – Warm Up My Bones (Own Label).

Inspired to take up guitar at the age of 6 by hearing his cousin’s Pink Floyd albums, Liam Tarpey found his love of the blues in his teenage years. A music degree followed and during his time at University he managed to write, produce and record three solo albums. After basing himself in Spain he toured relentlessly and began to write songs for Warm Up My Bones. This begins with On My Neck, which is a high energy opener with a flurry of notes from Tarpey’s guitar. An instrumental blues/R&B crossover and a promising start. Krypto Blues is a Status Quo type rocking boogie and good fun at that too. The eponymous title track is a rough and ready blues – moody and wonderfully ragged whereas On Her Own is a slow blues with mournful vocals and classy guitar leading into a faster middle section. This is a standout and will be played again and again. There’s nothing spectacular about the high impact rocker, Lorraine but it will be one that is a crowd pleaser. It’s a showcase for his guitar and would have been a cracking closer.

Oyster Card Blues is a frantic acoustic slide offering and Let Me Know is a middle of the road, mid-paced soft rock and pretty harmless. The bouncy blues rock of Pennies has a good chorus whereas Never Again has a low key guitar and vocal opening with layers being added but it’s a strange one. The final song, Peter Panda, is a slow, atmospheric blues with clever guitar. However, it’s not my favourite as a closing track.
All in all I’m sure Liam Tarpey will be proud of this album, and with plenty of justification.
http://www.liamtarpey.com/

David Blue.

Jim Allchin – Overclocked (Sandy Key Music).

Seattle based Allchin has not taken the usual path to being a full time musician. An early sortie into the music business resulted in him giving up because he was starving. This led him to studying computer science and earning degrees at Stanford and Georgia Tech before joining Microsoft in 1990. He eventually became Co-President of the Platforms & Services Division and is a recognised leader in the world of computer science. However, he suffered a health issue in 2003 and that led him to reconsider his life and he decided to try and do the things he had regretted not following through. So he picked up his guitar again, started touring and released his debut album, Enigma, in 2009. Overclocked (which is, surprisingly enough, a computer term) is the follow up and opens with the eponymous title track. Authentic vinyl scratches make way for a clean, up tempo intro and then onto more fuzzed guitar from Allchin and overladen organ from David Gross. It’s better musically than vocally as shown by Allchin’s screaming guitar. Willow Tree is a mid paced swing blues with a good guitar solo and a better vocal. Back In The Swamp has an Albert Collins feel to it but Allchin’s guitar set up is not as clinical as Collins’. This swinging blues has a lovely piano break by the aforementioned Gross and the now standard classy guitar. Don’t Tell Me What To Do is a classy, strolling electric blues and one of the top tracks on the album whereas One For The Money is sultry with a female vocal and piercing guitar. The use of another lead vocalist is possibly a way forward for him as this has added a bit of passion.

Fall is a slow instrumental and it’s a very good vehicle for his guitar. Scorching slide guitar is added to horns and organ for the high energy impact of Dr J. This is a big track in many ways, only slightly let down by his limited vocal. Mr Unknown has some gentle 50s doo-wop stylings but Flirt has a heavier feel although he is struggling with the vocal to match. Both are satisfying tracks in their own way. Perfect Game is one of the slower tracks and is another with a female vocal, but this time not to any great effect. This isn’t his best song but the quality guitar work shines through again. There’s no mistaking the quality of his guitar work on Just Playin’ With Me, which leans towards R&R. Penultimate track, The One, is a slow night club style blues with the guitar as the star again whereas the instrumental final track, Opening My Eyes To Love, has a Spanish feel with a Santana-esque solo.

13 tracks of self-penned songs that show his song writing skills added to some sublime guitar playing makes for an entertaining album overall and one on which Allchin can build.

http://www.jimallchin.com/

David Blue.