Artiste: The Blues Overdrive
Nationality: Danish I think
Album: Clinch!
Year: 2015
Label:
Genre: Blues
Chronological position: Second album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting factoid:
Tracks:
1. Pistol blues: Has a very Credence feel to it from the beginning, starts low and restrained but I imagine it will kick up shortly... actually, no it doesn't. Bit of a disappointment actually.
2. Rolling thunder: Better. Rocks out from the start. Good guitar work and some fine percussion. The vocal fits the music perfectly.
3. Three time lover: And now we're boogying at last. Aw yeah! This is the blues, man! Pretty cool.
4. Woman of love: Kind of a Dire Straits guitar here, actually very like a slower “Sultans of Swing” or “Water of love” (any coincidence?). Softer vocal which is interestingly different, almost a touch of folk in there. The guitar goes Santana-style halfway through.
5. Daughter of the devil: And this is The Eagles' “Witchy woman”. Oh dear.
6. Jealous: This is a bit better, but I'm starting to get a little bored now. Where are the hard-rockin', hard-drinkin' blues stormers? This is, so far, pretty damn weak.
7. Cherry: God! Another limpwristed borefest!
8. Lay your burden down: Do these guys EVER rock out? This is just total snoozedom. Did not expect this.
9. Living here without you: Okay, there's a decent Rober Crayesque groove here and some nice electric piano. This is not bad. Still not really kicking out any stays though, and I'd like to hear that. Given that we have only one track to go, however, I kind of doubt it's gonna happen.
10. Aurora: No, it's another slowburner. Not bad, but ffs, wake up guys huh?
Comments: For a blues album, I just expected it to be more lively. I guess the blues can be introspective and sort of downbeat, which is how this album came across to me. But how these guys won the accolade of Best Blues Album of 2015 is beyond me. They say on their website they can't believe it: neither can I. Big disappointment personally. I'm certainly no expert on the blues, but I've heard the greats and the not-so-greats, and this doesn't come close. I guess some people prefer their blues downbeat and low-key. Not me though, at least, not all through the album.
