LOVE, PEACE & CHICKEN GREASE Pontchartrain Shakers (Southland Records) *****+
The new album from Pontchartrain Shakers is one of the best things I’ve heard this year. Love, Peace & Chicken Grease is creole blues with soul as deep as the ocean. Raw, immediate and captured live in the studio, you will fall under its spell immediately, and do so willingly.
The first line of my review of their self-titled debut in 2024 applies here too; “(it’s) full to the nuts with irresistible charm. Lively with an old-timey vibe and yet not old fashioned, once you hear it, is unforgettable.” Love, Peace & Chicken Grease has a relaxed confidence as it weaves heartfelt blues, gritty swamp textures and Louisiana soul into a spellbinding concoction that just keeps the goosebumps coming. Guitar work from Amedee Frederick and Jojjo Wight is… well, perfection really. Frederick, who handles most of the lead vocals, is a wonderfully emotional singer that elevates the songs as they penetrate your heart. Drummer Earl Smith Jr. and bassist Red DeVecca sit in the pocket and resist the urge to overplay as they groove their asses off.
The production by Jojji Wight is immaculate as she captures the soul and spirit of the band in a bright and well balanced mix. I don’t know what the band’s schedule is like, but if she has the time and inclination she should consider producing other artists as well. LP&CG is 6 originals alongside covers of tunes by people like R.L. Burnside and Eddie Cotton, plus a spirited take on the Nola standard St. James Infirmary. The album has been praised as “an album that channels the roots of the region- blues, soul, second line grooves and Creole fire- all shaken together and poured out through generations of Louisiana musicians”, and that’s the stone cold truth.
Love, Peace & Chicken Grease is about as good as it gets.
HOT TRACKS: Sunshine, Don’t Ask Me How I’m Doing, Jumper
EVENTIDE Nili Brosh (independent) ****
An album of instrumental guitar music can be hit or miss; some are too ‘wanky’ or out there while others combine melody and mood in a heady atmosphere that feels just right, and that’s where Nili Brosh’s new album fits in. Eventide is a masterclass in inventive melody and chops.
I’d never heard of Brosh before this. She released her debut 16 years ago, only a year after graduating from the Berklee College of Music, and in that time she’s collaborated with artists like Danny Elfman, Dethklok and Cirque du Soleil for their “Michael Jackson One” show, which I saw in Vegas. Eventide is her 4th studio album and her first in 6 years, and she knew exactly how she wanted this one to go. ”With an ever-present concentration on catchy melodies, I’ve always felt I’ve had some mild form of synesthesia I wanted publicly shown through my music” she says. “This album became an attempt to make the sonic color consistent with the cover art.”
What makes Eventide a musical revelation is the range of moods and textures at Brosh’s command, from out and out rockers and dance-y numbers to dreamy, thoughtful vibes like you’ll find on the album closer Song For Hope. Lots of synthesizers used for melodic color of course, and the use of drum programming- which usually bothers me- really fits Eventide’s musical aesthetic. The album is really about her guitar playing, which is a revelation…delicate, muscular, articulate, flavorful and joyous. No matter what sort of mood you find yourself in there are tracks on this album that will like a glove, from thoughtful to boogie-licious.
Instrumental guitar-driven records tend to be rather niche, but you’ll be well rewarded if you open yourself up to Eventide. It explores lots of territory in the guitar universe.
HOT TRACKS: Losing Grip, Pastel Dreams, Song For Hope
SOLID GROUND Ben Brandt (independent) *****
Describes as “the sweet spot where indie meets blues rock”, Ben Brandt’s debut solo album is stunning. Solid Ground is a mesmerizing blend of loose-limbed 70’s rock with walking basslines, understated guitar solos and some funk juice… VERY cool.
Brandt calls Solid Ground “somewhere between Queens Of The Stone Age and Robin Trower, but filtered through my own lens” and the production by J.D. Simo (Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Phil Lesh) really has that 70’s mojo, particularly the way the drums are mic’d. Ben has stepped out on his own here to take a look and the industry he finds himself in. “It’s about clawing for a sense of balance in life and in a music industry that can feel like it’s working against you” he observes. “That fight for equilibrium is felt everywhere on the record.”
The 70’s rock vibe of this album really speaks to me as that’s the music I grew up on. From the vintage production techniques to the occasionally psychedelic groove, Solid Ground hits you with a Lenny Kravitz bravura alongside a Faces casualness and the treated vocals do, on occasion, recall early Robin Trower. It doesn’t sound exactly like any of these things in particular; but that the songs touch on so many other things I dig is a really good sign. It may make you want to drop by the nearest Spencer’s Gifts to pick up a black light and some of those cool posters you used to have on your wall.
If I had to describe Solid Ground in one word it would be “trippy”. Ben’s guitar solos are loaded with feeling and soul, and kudos to bassist Ted Pecchio and drummer Adam Abrashoff for following their leader fearlessly down any rabbit hole he deigns to explore. The album was recorded on vintage gear with a no-frills, organic approach to give it the warmth and intimacy we hear and feel, the sound of a band locked in and chasing a feeling together.
It’s quite simple- Solid Ground is a great rock & roll album… really fuckin’ cool.
HOT TRACKS: Under The Weight, Solid Ground, Little Something
ELECTRIC SWAMP FUNKIN’ BLUES Selwyn Birchwood (Alligator Records) *****+
People that think blues is old music from the past that should be put to rest really need to hear this record. Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues, Selwyn’s 7th album (I think) finds all the stars lining up for an explosive, groovy experience. Guitar Player gets it exactly right when they say Birchwood “plays like a man possessed… cleverly blending elements of traditional blues, funk, Stax-flavored R&B and psychedelic rock into a cohesive and compelling, expansive and cathartic artistic statement.”
I’ve been following Selwyn since his 2014 disc Don’t Call No Ambulance and he keeps getting better with each release. ESFB is an intoxicating blend of the elements mentioned above, funk powered blues informed by incendiary guitar playing and deep, expressive vocals. It’s also the first of his Alligator albums that he’s produced by himself. “Producing allowed me to really take the wheel and steer the music to the exact destinations that I wanted to go” he says. “It allowed me to present the music with the full three-dimensional sound that I have wanted all along. It tiptoes the tightrope between gritty, gutbucket blues and contemporary grooves.”
From the explosive title track to the surprisingly gentle ballad Labor Of Love Selwyn leaves no stone unturned in this blues journey. From the first notes this is an album that puts its arm around you and says “come on in, we’ve got some things to talk about.” Birchwood is as inventive a lyricist as he is a guitar player, and I love the deep soul we hear in his voice on ESFB. He respects and explores blues traditions as he coaxes them into new areas of expression. This stuff isn’t just deep and evocative, it’s exciting.
Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues is 10 cuts that will show you a grand time as it takes the blues down some new roads. It’s one of those records that makes me want to take the day off work so I can listen to it over and over again. If there is any justice, this will be “Blues Album Of The Year” at next year’s Grammys.
HOT TRACKS: All Hail The Algorithm, title track, Talking Heads
