This is a contender for contemporary blues or soul album of the year a masterful evocation of the dystopian mess of parts of the USA and in particular Oakland in California.
The intro-Last Days Of Oakland just sets things up before the Keyboards lead off on Working Poor a part gospel blues about the difficulty of finding work that pays enough to keep a roof over your head it feels in places like Issac Hayes meets consciousness heavy Stevie wonder but with Jimmy Smith style keyboards that make it funky and danceable.
About A Bird is a slightly libidinous slow blues pleader for love and lust from someone who may not be your partner as he lives dangerously the pleading and infatuation comes across like Bill Withers in need of some action and hoping to seal the deal with a bit of stellar guitar work a cool modern lust song.
Scary Woman is a brilliant shuffle of lust for the sort of woman who bases her moves on Betty Davis with a bassline that feels like the pace they want to make love at once the deal has been sealed it has a swagger to the piano that feels like Xavier Dphrepaulezz knows he is the cock of the walk for landing his scary woman.
The Interlude-What Would You Do is an old blues lament for anyone dealing with the police in the wrong US states currently if they are not white and right so to speak that leads into The Nigga Song a modern blues about the state of the treatment of the people, slow and ponderous it really gets it's point across and as it changes up it becomes more of a field holler for better treatment by the authorities.
They then play the best cover of Leadbelly's In The Pines to come out this year a masterful re-working that is made all the more poignant if you watch the video they have made for it that shows it's theme of what gun violence does to anyone who is affected by it. Yes it's about Police killing young black people an issue that really should be far less prevalent than it has sadly become in places like Oakland. If anyone is looking for the anthem for Black Lives Matter this is quite possibly it. But please don't take the word of this White bloke go watch the video and get the full picture. A wonderful slow gospel blues that is an essential listen.
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Hump Through the Winter is another poor boy blues about needing to work three jobs to pay the rent, funky and uplifting. Lost In A Crowd is seemingly based on a field Holler that I recognise from the Alan Lomax Prison Blues of the South that has been modernized and re-purposed for our modern woes that are sadly not that different to the original woes. But this also has some towering Organ fills and a strident tale being told that needs to be heard again and again in case we slip into an abyss.
El Chileno is sort of a gospel interlude to lead into The Worst a keyboards led rap blues story about a good day to die a sad and sorry tale of another bullshit day in suck city to steal a book title for a description that fits the Holler that works as a signifier that the sound and song are getting darker and the keyboards minimal punctuation sets things off perfectly a killer track.
Rant Rushmore almost explains where it's coming from its title but damn if only we could get this level of eloquence from anyone involved in the current election fracas. Set to an almost Sweet Back backing with a slight gospel edge ruminating and fulminating building slowly to its climax.
Nothing Without You closes the album with a soul stirring love song with a beautiful feel as it builds and has a sort of early 70's Bobby Womack feel to it. A stunning way to end an album, which really should be a contender for album of the year. It's a brilliant comment on how things are.
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