THE SPIKEDRIVERS
Delta Roots
Scratchy (2001)
http://www.spikedrivers.co.uk

Although two of the three members are from the US, The Spikedrivers are an English roots band. Most of what they play on Delta Roots is, not surprisingly, murky semi-electric blues, but with a certain characteristic UK feel and they wear characteristically British hats as well. Some songs are original and some are covers of old blues guys like Big Bill Broonzy and Robert Johnson; it's hard to tell the covers from the originals.

On vocals and bass, Californian Constance Redgrave two vocals sound like she's sitting around waiting for the bar to close. He voice is more of a quiet moan than a boistrous belt, but it's what I first noticed, track 10, her own "Queen of the One Night Stand." Most of the vocals feature (as far as I can tell) South Carolinian Ben Tyzack. Tyzack has a heavy-duty ("thick" is the best word, but that sounds unaesthetic) mid-range voice, and also can play guitar and imitate a train on the harmonica well. The third member is Maurice McElroy, from Belfast, who plays drums and seems quite versatile.

Many tracks really jump, in a sepia sort of way. "Life Is Fine," a Langston Hughes poem set to a peppy tune, features a funky syncopated drum beat and a little slide guitar. "if the water hadnt been so cold
if I hadn't been so high
I could have died for love..."
But you might never guess this as a poem, it sounds so much like blues lyrics on this track. Another nice song that simmers rather than boils is "Stop Breaking Down Blues." There are some earthy bright steel guitar solos here as well. J.J. Cale's "Clyde" is more of a country song here:
"Clyde he don't move an inch
Sit on the porch without no shoes
Pickin his bass and singing the blues."
This song moves light and peppy, despite successfully conveying Clyde's lethargy.

The Spikedrivers clearly know what they are doing and are a solid, well-integrated band with a definite style. So many of these blues songs sound alike, though, and not much really happens in them. Sometimes in a blues album, specific tracks will pop out as tremendously more interesting, but on this album they don't. The Spikedrivers actually do vary the arrangements, but there's just something about their style, perhaps it's usually the same instruments, usually same lead vocalist, that mutes the sense of variety. So for me, the album flowed on like the muddy Mississippi without much change in gradient, but with a lot of strength.

Included in the CD are graphic tracks of several versions of their publicity poster and a photo not only on the cover, which makes it easy to publicize the band if they come to play at your home. At first I thought that opening the blue poster had crashed my computer as a blue screen warning appeared, but eventually it transferred on to "Corel Photo House." These things never work very well on my little computer.

write: gennett at gorge dot net

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