Hard Blue Space
VizzTone
Nothing fancy but some straight-ahead blues performances from the Memphis based Little Boys Blue. Guitarist John Holiday (aka Kid Memphis) played Carl Perkins in the 2005 movie "Walk The Line," while vocalist and harmonica player, JD Taylor, actually played gigs with the rockabilly legend. In addition to these two, Little Boys Blue includes guitarist Alex Taylor, drummer Mark Brooks, and bassist Dave Mallard. Also present are the keyboards of Dave Thomas and the slide guitar of Andrew White, Brad Webb, and Wes Henley.
JD Taylor wrote all 11 songs, with assists from Holiday on two and Alex Taylor on one. Also, the songs are all blues with a variety of moods and tempos ranging from the opening "Six Foot Down" with its incorporation of the "Rollin' and Tumblin'" riff (and fine slide guitar) to the closing Jimmy Reed flavored shuffle "Going Back To Memphis," with his harp in the vein of the second Sonny Boy Williamson. JD is a very good singer who delivers his gritty vocals with a straight-forward honest and unmannered style. He plays strong, effective harp while ably backed by the band here and the material is solid stuff.
Other noteworthy songs include, but are not limited to, the easy-rocking shuffle "Loving Kind," with some nifty guitar lines in the vocal backing; the atmospheric title track with nice slide guitar in addition to the haunting harp; and the late evening slow blues "If the Blues Start Calling." Strong originals, strong vocals, and harp from Taylor and solid backing make "Hard Blue Square" a release worth the attention of blues enthusiasts.
I received my review copy from VizzTone. This review originally appeared in the May-June 2018 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 378). Here is a performance from the album.
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