FMI Records artist: Dave Fields - Force of Will - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Force of Will, from Dave Fields and it's quite good. Opening with modern boogie, I Love My Baby, multi instrumentalist Fields on vocal and guitar (among other things) is joined by Bill Ferns on harp. A solid melody and rhythm and always tight vocals make this opener a natural radio track. Big Block is a hard driving blues rocker with tight drum beat by Van Romaine and metal influenced blues guitar riffs that will curl your hair. Very cool. Hunger is a bit more of an abstract rocker with a solid foundation and Jeff Beck influenced guitar riffs with Buddy Allen on bass and Lee Jeffryes on drums. Very nice. Straightforward blues ballad, Why Can't You Ever Treat Me Right is really strong with excellent modern blues soloing by Fields and excellent vocals. Joined by Bjorn Hagset on bass and Kare Andersen on drums, this is my favorite blues track on the release. Another solid blues ballad, It's Not Ok with Fields on lead vocal and and soaring guitar lead, demonstrates real crowd appeal while capturing the guitar crowd with low fretboard work and excellent dynamics. Chloe & Otis is a cool funky jazz based number based on a Steely Dan format. You like Becker and Fagen, you'll love this with Vlad Barsky on keys, Buddy Allen on bass, Kenny Soule on drums and Fields working lead vocal, guitar and keys. Very nice. You want wide open guitar work.... Delmar is it. Distortion, divebombs and tapping... excellent! Another track that really gets my attention is Jack Ham Her with an excellent bottom from Boyd and Romaine and just guitar instrumental. Fields could do an entire release of this style work for me and I'd be happy but I love the all out guitar exploration stuff. This is terrific! Wrapping the release is Best I Can, a radio rocker in the Free/Paul Rogers vein, with a solid melody and heavy bottom. Fields on lead vocal and keys over Soule on snappy drumming and tightly knit in guitar work makes this a strong closer. 

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FMI Records artist: Dave Fields - All In - New Release Review

I just received the newest release (July 1, 2014), All In, from Dave Fields and it's quite strong. Opening with Changes In My Life, a blues shaped rocker, Fields,playing most all instruments lays out a pop blues rocker with a catchy feel and blues riffs blended with modern tapping techniques making for an interesting change of pace. Voodoo Eyes is up next with more of a ballad style but with a cool rhythm. Fields again steps up with some really nice guitar riffs and key work that nicely highlights the track. Let's Go Downtown has a really happy feel and pacing march rhythm not a lot unlike what you might expect from Wet Willie or Elvin Bishop. This is a cool track with strong blues guitar riffs. Yeah, he has a better voice than my pal Crabshaw, but I ain't holding that against him. Nice track. Dragon Fly takes a much more serious approach to the music with more of an orchestral arrangement, powerful bottom and soaring guitar. Cream's (Robert Johnson) Cross Road is up next with a totally different feel. The reason that I say Cream has more to do with it sounding like an interpretation of Cream's interpretation of Robert Johnson's Crossroad Blues. With a slower pace and a heavier attack, this track has new life and modern guitar pyrotechnics yet retains a bit of the rawness of Johnson's original. Wake Up Jasper is a straight up 12 bar number along the lines of Blind Willie McTell's Statesboro Blues. Fields has a nice voice that blends well with his musical style. Breaking into a R&B track midway through, this track is one of the coolest on the release with Jeff Beck like guitar sounds and a Wilson Pickett step. Excellent! A really cool twist is a funky take on Led Zep's Black Dog! Retaining a bit of Robert Plant's senseless groans and grunts might be the easiest tip off that it's the same track it's done so nicely, Led Zep fans will easily pick it out... but it is really a new track. Not retaining the flash and flair of Page's guitar work opting instead to do it "Texas Style" this is quite a cool track. Not Gonna Let You Get Away retains that southern blues funk with a pop edge. An "Eddie van Halen" like guitar solo breaks the funk but not in a bad way. This is a cool track which nicely blends not only musical styles but also guitar styles and nice vocal work. Got A Hold On Me slides into Ray Charles territory with a touch of Stevie Ray. A cool R&B rocker with modern guitar sounds really separates this track and Fields as a whole as someone who is trying to cut his own road. Nice job! That's All Right is a groove monster with a funky beat and killer guitar riffs. Again Fields is right on vocally making this one of the nicer tracks on the release. Wrapping the recording is Lover's Holiday, an easy, acoustic number primarily featuring Fields on acoustic guitar and vocals, light percussion and backing. This is a cool little track to complete what is certainly Fields finest outing to date.

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