Every now and then we hear of large international corporation mergers, global conglomerates making themselves colossally richer and more potent.
Well, who cares about that? We aren’t normally affected –
unless it is to our usual detriment. But we can
be impacted by this glorious blues merger of classy vocal and guitar, Eliza
Neals’ latest delivering yet another collection of gutsily crafted and
performed songs.
Brilliant band axeman Howard Glazer with guests Paul Nelson and Billy
Davis provide the superb riff licks and sassy slide [check out Glazer’s scorcher
on Ain’t My Dog No More] that are a
perfect accompaniment to Neals’ soulful blues voice.
That vocal can, as ever, produce an affecting range. On Cold Cold Night, the
double-dubbing/harmonising is stunning, with rises that make the hair on the
back – well, you know – and Nelson’s acoustic accompaniment is beautiful. This
is a powerful song, full of beauty and blues punch.
Hard Killing Floor
follows this, and the screaming guitar is haunting, Neals emotively adding to
the mood with some further solo blues melancholy and harmony-tinge to smooth
out the pain. Next, Call Me Moonshine
opens with piercing wah-wah, and the beat of a pumping blues riff kicks in and
we are taken on another immaculate ride.
The album opens with the acoustic slide of Cleotus and Neals singing sweetly above
hand claps and other percussive slaps to set an unadorned but live-like ambience.
Second Another Lifetime introduces
the memorable mood of the whole, the blues served up by that musical merger of
consummate emotive vocal and guitar – supporting band full of further
perfections, and check out details here.
The album closes on At
the Crossroads with guest guitarist Billy Davis. This is a piano-driven
ballad swelled by Neals’ gracefully gravel voice and bursts of harmonising as
well as echoing lines. It is a slowed calming end to an album that pumps out
the most sustained high-quality blues numbers you will find on any one album.
Eliza and Howard are a class act, and this is yet another album from them that wears a blues heart on a stylish sleeve.
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| Eliza and Howard |
This post lead me to check her out and I really like the album.So thanks for the review!
ReplyDeletePleased to hear - that's what it's all about
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