Free Class
Describing themselves as a ‘dirty blues/rock outfit from
San Diego’, Little Hurricane offer up this excellent free download of their
covers album Stay Classy. Guitarist
Anthony Catalano and drummer Celeste Spina have selected well-known songs to
cover, and their simple format is effective – the guitar and vocal of Catalano
leading, nothing flash, and on this album at least, the strength of the
familiar carries it easily.
The duo no doubt draw comparisons with The White Stripes in
their format, but when there’s just two of them – female on drums, male on
guitar – that’s going to happen. I think that’s where the comparison ends. The
guitar work is never blistering, but on Ain’t
No Sunshine, the playing is gutsy as well as eloquent –
volume and echo tamed to good use - and Catalano’s vocal is emotively engaged
and engaging rather than forceful.
Cover songs include Dark
End of the Street, Percy Sledge; Bad
Moon Rising, CCR; I’m On Fire,
Bruce Springsteen; Money, Pink Floyd,
and to demonstrate their contemporariness, Grounds
for Divorce, Elbow, with fuzzed slide guitar. ZZ Top's Blue Jean Blues gets a slowed dirty blues caress. The album can be
downloaded from here.
If you go to their website, you can listen to some of the
tracks from their album Homewrecker.
The format is obviously the same, though musically [from what I’ve heard –
haven’t managed to listen to all and am uncertain if all are available] there
is more variety, for example the reggae of Haunted
Heart. Interesting lyrics to the songs as well.
I always enjoy your reviews, Mike, and was looking forward to hearing this, but when I "Spotified" it (new verb alert) I got Of Monsters and Men, about whom I am ambivalent.
ReplyDeleteThe LH album looks like it should be intriguing, and I am amused that a band such as Elbow, who would previously have been considered quite parochial (is that the most appropriate term?) are now being covered by cool US bands, to their much deserved credit for playing the long-game and actually being of such high quality.
Talking of opinions, Debs thought the Tasechi Trucks album was a bit obvious, though I thought it more like the Monophonics but with a bit more class and drive.
The LH is worth a listen whatever, but for free it is a worthy one. I think maybe LH is making its own statement by covering Elbow: frankly, I don't know E's work at all.
DeleteI wouldn't dream of challenging Deb's opinion of TT. For me it is, yes, everything one could expect of Southern Rock and the pedigree of those delivering this, but I definitely think it is a classy representation of that genre. It's all in the performance really, which is exceptional - not sure that is down to opinion!
Thanks as ever for keeping in touch with the blog.