Blues Historian Review: Back Door Slam, Roll Away

I suppose the cover of the CD should have clued me into what I was going to hear, but after watching these guys on Youtube I thought I was going to get some scorching hot Stevie Ray/Jimi Hendrix styled blues. However, what I got was some old fashioned blues rock, Circa 1969-72. Even the cover looks like it came from the late 60s or 70s. The first song, Come Home, has a bit of the Stevie Ray/Hendrix sound I was looking for especially the ending. Outside Woman Blues, sounds very Claptonish from his days with Cream, although the drums and bass are much more straight ahead than anything Cream ever did. (which is a good thing) Gotta Leave is a nice slow blues with a touch of soul. Stay, And Too Late, are folk, While Takes A Real Man and It'll All Come Around return to the blues rock/classic rock genre. The album then has two more English folk songs and finishes with a bonus cut of Real Man, which is another version of Takes A Real Man. I think this disc if it had been released in the early 70s would have been one of the albums that would have enjoyed a long life on the old AOR (Album Oriented Radio) format. I just wonder if it is going to find an audience here in the states given that corporate radio dislikes anything that isn't edgy, Rap, or Pop infused pablum. These kids have got some chops and Davey Knowles can really scream on guitar. It also helps that unlike Clapton, and Hendrix, in the 60s, who were saddled with rhythm sections who over played, Knowles rhythm section of Ross Doyle and Adam Jones keep a driving rhythm that doesn't deflect from Knowles fiery guitar playing.

If you are interesting in reliving some great sounds from the blues/classic rock era of the late 60s and early 70s then get this disc. I know that blues purists will be disappointed with the disk, but those of us who like good tunes will enjoy this CD.