I just received the newest release,
Kicking Up The Dust, from
Walklate & Fuschi and it's solid Chicago style blues. Mat Walklate and Paolo Fuschi play old style blues through old style equipment capturing a unique quality now mostly lost to modern recording techniques. On opener,
Ain't No Big Deal On You, W&F bring a train style rhythm with rich vocals, rhythm guitar and charging harp soloing throughout. Excellent start.
Going Sown Slow has a cool Latin beat courtesy of Fuschi on guitar with Walklate leading the way on lead vocal and harp. With fine instinctual harp playing and solid vocals, Walklate carries the lead and Fuschi's blues riffs surface for a fine solo of his own on this track. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release,
As Long As I Have You, shows Walklate's most expressive vocals and super harp work. With a soulful melody and a more sophisticated guitar approach, this track is super. Shuffle track,
Nothing But Love, has strong Chicago roots giving the duo a super opportunity to show their chops. Walklate's harp work on this track is clean and precise with solid balance. W&F's take on
Trouble No More is super with driving blues riffs by Fuschi giving the stage to Walklate for a thick vocal / harp lead. Very nice.
Fat Man is an excellent showcase for Walktake's harp work with Fuschi carrying the load on rhythm guitar.
Don't You Know Me has a simple R&B feel with each partner taking healthy solos. Fuschi's guitar work is clever and clear. Cool. With a 30's sound and an almost French cafe feel,
Black Cat Bone is another of my favorites on the release. With some of Walklate's best vocals and nicely figured guitar work from Fuschi leading to a stylized harp solo, this track is super.
Oh Babe (Sick and Tired) / Man uses basic blues fundamentals blended with Ska rhythms to create a cool take on blues classics. Wrapping the release is
Money (That's What I Want). With a nice rockin' beat and Ray Charles like vocals, and modern, british bllues style guitar soloing, this is a super closer for a real cool release.
