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Review: 'BURGESS & SLIDE'
'Dead Souls'   

-  Label: 'Self-released'
-  Genre: 'Alt/Country' -  Release Date: 'March 2015'

Our Rating:
'Dead Souls' is the latest album by Burgess & Slide, and follows on from their critically acclaimed debut, 2012's 'Falling Down', which I reviewed for W & H at the time.

Well, the Bristol boys are back, and as good as ever, with a marvellous set of twelve new tracks featuring some of the best modern acoustic country blues that I've heard in a long time.

Opening with 'Best Goodbye', the album gets off to a great start. This country blues number is laid back and easy, and would be a great Summer hit. The guitar playing is faultless, and the musical vibe is reminiscent of country blues greats such as Mississippi John Hurt. In addition to this, the lyrics are spot on for this song: - “I never known better goodbyes since this/ Just past dawn in the harbour with your blond hair blowin' cross your face”.

During this track, there are some classic observations of a parting, with strong imagery: - “Then you waved as the water got wider between us/ Smoky sun gettin' higher while the fishermen knotted their nets”.

Following on from this is 'Boom Boom', an absolute classic slide blues with some cool harmonica work. Lyrically, this follows the story of a man getting blamed for everything (similar to Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's 'It wasn't me'), and flows really well: - “Who let the dog out in the street? (x 2)/ It wasn't me, I locked the door/ Closed all the windows, cleaned the shit up off the floor”.

The band manage to turn in a cracking version of the 'Stagger Lee' legend, a song first published in 1911, and one that has passed into American folklore, telling the story of Lee Shelton and Billy Lyons. Shelton shoots and kills Lyons following a dispute where Lyons stole Shelton's hat. Shelton was tried and convicted of murder in 1897 and went to prison, being pardoned in 1909, before returning to crime and dying in prison in 1912.

Another excellent track with an historical bent is 'Sunderland Kid', which tells the story of James Lowrie, a notable pickpocket and thief from the North East, whose story came to light when a book of mug shots from the 1930s was found in a junk shop, and the photographs uploaded on to Flickr.
Once again, Burgess & Slide have produced an album of striking depth and complexity, which is one well worth having. This is certainly the best new album I've heard this year.




Available from: Burgess And Slide at Soundcloud
  author: Nick Browne

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BURGESS & SLIDE - Dead Souls