Blues Explosion Vol 3 – Review

Story and Photographs by John Snelson

Blues Explosion Volume 3 is top of the Australian Top 25 Blues/Roots Airplay Charts compiled by our very own good friend and writer here at Get Shot Magazine, Anthony Moulay.

Why do we think this is such a great album ? We have been listening to it for a few weeks and it never leaves the CD player here at Get Shot firing range HQ.

Read on to find out why we think this CD is so rich in great bopping blues music – and yes, it’s all performed right here in Australia by our own artists.

Dallas Frasca – Sound Painter

Track 1 explodes with the firequeen herself, Dallas Frasca and her song of betrayed love and anger, “All My Love“. This gut-wrencher is the rainbow track from her scorcher album “Sound Painter“, currently charting at #14 after 7 months in the Australian Top 25 Blues/Roots Airplay Charts featuring Jeff Curran on guitar and Pete McDonald on drums. What a great opening for this 3rd in the series of Tony Cini‘s Blues Explosion compilations.

The second track showcases the Mason Rack Band – now we’ll be featuring the performance of the Mason Rack Band on the Rhythm Boat Evening Cruise on Friday 16th November right here in Get Shot Magazine. This track “Purple and Blue” is a great precursor to what we are going to get on board. If you can’t get to the cruise gig, you might be able to see Mason Rack that same weekend at The Vanguard on Saturday 17th November.

On the same bill as Mason Rack will be the great PJ O’Brien (whose own CD “Jefferson Blues” is also still at #10 on the Australian Top 25 Blues/Roots Airplay Charts).

PJ O’Brien Blues Band – Jefferson Blues

You can also catch Mason Rack at Beaches at Thirroul on the following afternoon Sunday 18th November where it is rumoured Genevieve Chadwick may also be on the bill.

The album features the blues rock sounds in “Sun’s Goin’ Down” of John Meyer’s Blues Express, the funky blues sounds of the Tom Richardson Project singing Tom’s own “One Heart” and a terrific rendition of “Buddy’s Got The Blues Again” from “Mr. Smoke Yer Boots” himself, Buddy Knox. Wow – what else is on this doozie !

Marisa Quigley, the “2007 Voice of the Year” and currently in at #24 of the Australian Top 25 Blues/Roots Airplay Charts with her self-titled album “Marisa Quigley” has a great voice, often referred to as a blend of Janis Joplin, Etta James and Bonnie Rait and a swampful of black blues singers – we think they have undercooked her – this is great stuff – a voice of full of pathos, depth and soul in a great track “Does He Want Me (Like The Ocean) ?” Not quite sure what that means, but it sure creates some thoughts.

Claude Hay is a clever performer, an artisan, a master of his trade, the guitar, loop box and pedals. He will be appreciated by those who like one-man bands, home made electronics, thump boxes, layers of music driven by pedals and switches – clever stuff indeed.

Claude Hay – One Man Loop Blues Band

We actually think Claude Hay is at his very best just by himself with a simple guitar, “nonplugged” but hey, that’s just our opinion on the Get Shot firing range.

We really did like “The Girls Gone Wild” by Ashleigh Mannix, although some may say there is more country here than blues. To be honest, we don’t care too much about that – refreshing, young, expressive, creative and inspiring we thought … looking forward to hearing a lot more from this young talent who makes all those people on the “voice and talent” shows look quite ordinary.

Track 9 features Penny and the Mystics from the South Coast, known for their rockin’ reggae, rip-it-up, rootsy sounds, singing “Wake Up” which reminded me of Jimi’s “All Along The Watchtower” riffs – so yes, of course we loved it. We’ve never seen Penny and the Mystics ourselves, but we will be there at the next opportunity – hey guys, send us an invite !

Shaun Kirk fires up a Willie Dixon number “Drug Got a Hold On You” with a twist of Canned Heat sounds and churn. Meanwhile, Bridie King a very experienced and accomplished musician looks back to Memphis Slim for her version of “Nat Dee Special” with a stride around the keys – been around too many years for us to embarrass her – but this is as usual from Bridie King, top quality blues of the Southern genre from a artist whose talents go far beyond playing her choice of music, 12 bar boogie swamp blues. We like her choice.

Lastly, a fine ending to this 12 track blues compilation “Road Under My Wheels” from Western Australian outfit Blue Shaddy, a family band made up of Sandy bass), Graham (harmonica) and Jim McClelland (guitar) and on drums old pal Callun Kramer. We’d like to see more of them over on this side of the island.

All up, this is a top album, Tony Cini’s Blues Explosion Volume 3 – and no doubt it will remain high up in the Australian Top 25 Blues/Roots Airplay Charts for many more months – and so it should ! Thanks to Tony Cini for bringing this fine album of Australian talent to the blues believers.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 at 12:48 am. It is filed under John Snelson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.