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"The Devil Ain't Got No Music"
Lurrie Bell
www.lurrie.com
Aria B.G. Records
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These days, it's only a matter of time before every rock, folk and blues musician pays tribute to (or discovers) his gospel roots. Singer/guitarist Lurrie Bell, a longtime staple on the Chicago blues scene, and son of harmonica player Carey Bell, takes his turn with a fine acoustic set of standards -- and more.
This disc is a stripped-down affair that relies on Bell's just-rough-enough voice and guitar. He is joined on a number of tunes by guitar, courtesy of Joe Louis Walker, as well as upright bass and percussion.
He begins with a foot-stomping, rolling version of "Swing Low," and he treats the traditional "It's a Blessing" as a field holler, covers one of Muddy Waters' few gospel tunes, "Why Don't You Live So God Can Use You," and Thomas Dorsey's "Peace in the Valley," as well as Tom Waits oft-covered "Way Down in the Hole" (with just vocals and percussion) and James Taylor's "Lo and Behold" (which stands up against the classics).
Bell gives "Trouble in My Way" an easygoing call-and-response gospel-soul feel but it's Dorsey's classic "Search Me Lord" that perhaps best showcases everything he's got to offer, including subtle but self-assured acoustic chops by a sympathetic band based around an acoustic guitar and his voice. Bell wraps up the set with an improvised take on the Rev. Gary Davis' "Death Don't Have No Mercy."
"Manic EP"
Logan Venderlic
www.loganvenderlic.bandcamp.com
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This five-track EP is a pleasantly quirky set of indie pop songs from St. Marys native Logan Venderlic. Songs like "Great Water" and "Me, Me, Me" -- the two standouts -- are melodic ditties, sung with a slight hip quaver and spiced up with trumpet lines. Elsewhere, "A Walk With a Girl" is a bit of folk-punk that recalls The Clash, and "Blue Pills/Red Cups" is something of a love song for the troubled.
Venderlic clearly has mixed emotions about his home state. His bio proudly touts in the opening line that he "sprung from the hills of rural West Virginia," but his paean to his hometown, "Jerkwater Town," (a catchy tune) offers a grim 'n' dim view of where he was raised
He sings, "I'm from a state, a suffering state . . . where children are born but they're going nowhere, waiting to die from the chemical air . . ." although he does (regrettably?) acknowledge: "I could never stay away for too long/the mountains are calling me back."
Ahh, but we West Virginians are used to that, and we know, sooner or later, he'll be remorseful. And then we'll welcome him back with open arms.
His self-titled full-length album was released April 17 and is also available at the website listed above.
nn"The Devil Ain't Got No Music"
Lurrie Bell
www.lurrie.com
Aria B.G. Records
----------
These days, it's only a matter of time before every rock, folk and blues musician pays tribute to (or discovers) his gospel roots. Singer/guitarist Lurrie Bell, a longtime staple on the Chicago blues scene, and son of harmonica player Carey Bell, takes his turn with a fine acoustic set of standards -- and more.
This disc is a stripped-down affair that relies on Bell's just-rough-enough voice and guitar. He is joined on a number of tunes by guitar, courtesy of Joe Louis Walker, as well as upright bass and percussion.
He begins with a foot-stomping, rolling version of "Swing Low," and he treats the traditional "It's a Blessing" as a field holler, covers one of Muddy Waters' few gospel tunes, "Why Don't You Live So God Can Use You," and Thomas Dorsey's "Peace in the Valley," as well as Tom Waits oft-covered "Way Down in the Hole" (with just vocals and percussion) and James Taylor's "Lo and Behold" (which stands up against the classics).
Bell gives "Trouble in My Way" an easygoing call-and-response gospel-soul feel but it's Dorsey's classic "Search Me Lord" that perhaps best showcases everything he's got to offer, including subtle but self-assured acoustic chops by a sympathetic band based around an acoustic guitar and his voice. Bell wraps up the set with an improvised take on the Rev. Gary Davis' "Death Don't Have No Mercy."
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