Bloodshot Records artist: Luke Winslow-King - Everlasting Arms - New Release Review

I just received the newest release (September 30, 2014), Everlasting Arms, from Luke Winslow-King and it's quite interesting. Opening with title track, Everlasting Arms, LWK sets an easy spiritual blues feel singing in tandem with wife, Esther Rose. A laid back country blues, LWK handles primary lead vocal and smooth slide guitar work. Very nice. Swing That Thing has a lot of jangle and a feel of the hill country blues. A simple blues holler not unlike Mr Burnside might put down, and clean rhythmic guitar rhythm and slide work ...this is a very cool track. Levee Man has a strong feel of New Orleans jazz and bright trumpet Ben Polcer as well as some nice clarinet and trombone work. A very nice Basin Street feel. Graveyard Blues is a simple ballad with nice piano accompaniment by Polcer. An easy set 3/4 pace really showcases the nice blend between Rose and LWK's vocals. Cadillac Slim digs deeper into the New Orleans feel with drummer Benji Bohannon leading the way. LWK lays down a clean electric solo on this track and upright bassist Cassidy Holden sets a solid bass line. La Bega's Carousel again features really nice vocal blending and the island rhythm which enriches New Orleans' heritage. A featured trumped solo by Polcer over a naked drum rhythm by Bohannon is really cool! The Crystal Water Springs has a much more traditional blues feel and raw guitar sounds. I really like the slide work on this track with it's raggedy edges and earthy feel. Wanton Way Of Loving features Rose in front and LWK echoing on second vocal. Enriched with a country fiddle sound, this track is solid and clean. Interlude (As It Goes) is a very interesting track with what to my ear sounds like Mali guitar work. Excellent! Last Night I Dreamed My Birthday is a strongly written ballad and one that could easily find it's way to multiple genre playlists. Domino Sugar is a sugary sweet rock track that rivals anything that John Mayer puts up but with cool slide work. Very nice! Interlude II is a short experimental instrumental track. A nice break and adds texture. Home Blues has a great St' James Infirmary feel with a super play between the horns and bass line. A beautiful clarinet solo on this track not only gives it a feeling of authenticity but makes you wonder why it doesn't find it's way onto more contemporary tracks. Polcer really finds the groove on this track with his solo trumpet work and LWK delivers on vocals making this one of my favorite tracks on the release. Wrapping the release is Traveling Myself, a bouncy country style blues track primarily LWK on vocal and guitar with improvised percussion. This is a deceptively cool release which you need to listen to a few times to really get... and you should get it!

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