In the music world, the blues circuit, and by association, the blues billboard chart, is the older, perhaps less trendy brother to modern rock music. Every minute or so, a new band arrives on the pop music scene, promising to throw out the rule book, offend their elders who have been doing it longer and proclaim their brand of music more relevant than anyone else's. But take a look at the blues charts, and you'll find it dominated by those guitar gods who rose to prominence a few (and for some, that's being generous) years ago and stayed there: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Healey, Sonny Landreth, B.B. King...even *the* rock god himself, Jimi, is back in the charts again (although the appearance of Apocalypse Now on the television is all the encouragement the paying public needs to shell out again for his albums). For every new blues musician getting airplay and press time, there are forty or fifty "blues masters" hogging the airwaves, their CDs receiving a three-hundred place bump up the charts every time Father's Day comes around again.
But let's turn our attention to Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam. Originally just Back Door Slam, the group disbanded and Knowles took the name as a suffix (although presumably part of it was promoters' reaction to the fact that with a frontman like Knowles on stage, you are going to want his name in the lights). Perhaps one of the most notable things about Knowles (and the point of that meandering introduction) is the fact that he is twenty-two years old, and yet has already had an album that has hit number two in the Billboard Blues Album charts. He's also supported bands and artists such as The Who, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Burdon and Buddy Guy. Oh and according to the press release, Kid Rock, too. We'll skip over that one...
As with many blues guitarists, influences usually take up a large part of the review. The excellent lead guitar on "You Can't Take This Away" displays a languorous style delightfully reminiscent of that of Mark Knopfler, a key member of Knowles' acknowledged inspirations. Elsewhere on the album, we're in prime Clapton territory, blues-rock complete with shredding solos and Hammond organs aplenty. It's the sort of blues that some affectionately (or not) term "Dad rock". This is pretty energetic stuff though, a youthful, sincere twist to go with that vintage shade of blue. And with a vocal delivery that is occasionally reminiscent of Joe Cocker, it's not like he can't sing either. The other thing that stands out proudly in the press release is Peter Frampton's participation, pitching up for production, instrumental participation, and co-writing duties on "Keep On Searching" and "You Can't Take This Back". Knowles certainly isn't lacking in friends then...
"Coming Up For Air", inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and an attempt at an inspirational song of drive and determination, opens the album. The song begins, Knowles' guitar chugging like a train on the railroad before sliding away into the distance on the back of an organ swell. It's soulful, immaculately delivered and a good sign of what's to come. It's clear that at the age of twenty-two, Knowles isn't going to have the nicotine-beaten drawl of an ageing bluesman, and to his credit he puts nothing on. "Riverbed", the lyrics mourning a railroad accident, throws on a Lynyrd Skynyrd-esque southern blues rock mask (albeit without Van Zant's gruff howl). This doesn't last too long though: it's too clean, too polished, too fresh-faced.
By the third track, "Mistakes", Knowles is in a more reflective mood. The raw power has been turned down slightly. Again, the lyrical content is nothing exceptional (I sat at home with my heart in your hands/Choking the tears as best as I can/Knowing I shouldn't have made you cry/And I don't know why I didn't follow you out") but it's a rather mellow tearjerker that serves to demonstrate the variety in Knowles' work. It is telling though that the best track on the album is a cover of George Harrison's "Hear Me Lord". The Hammond organ bathes it in a stately, rather grave light, and the addition of gospel choir-style backing vocals is a nice touch. It is certainly the most 'complete' sounding track on the album, and the duelling, at times soaring, guitar solos of Knowles and Frampton are of the calibre that no self-respecting guitar (or indeed rock) fan can listen to them without coming down with a serious case of guitar-face. It's the first real opportunity on the album for Knowles to show off his clearly impressive technical ability: the longest track on the album, it's also the stand-out.
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Amber's Song, the poppiest track of the lot, is really rather pleasant. Another reflective pining for the girl long-gone, the acoustic guitar and mandolin complement each other very nicely, investing the song with a real sense of longing.
Knowles has done well to avoid the usual trap of a blues/rock album that is the half-written, three-minute track swollen to ten minutes of guitar twiddling and ego masturbation. However, with "Tear Down The Walls", I experienced rather the opposite: the song failed to seize my attention, and I caught myself waiting for the solo to kick in. Fortunately for my fragile attention span, it does kick in, and once again shows off Knowles' mastery of the six-stringed beast. I couldn't help but feel a bit unsatisfied though, a curious sensation of emptiness akin to the immediate aftermath of a long awaited Hollywood blockbuster film full of explosions, violence and sex but with a plot written in block capitals on the back of a used napkin.
After this brief moment of that very 21st century condition, the insatiable desire for immediacy, Knowles wrestles back the initiative. "Country Girl" is energetic enough, and "Keep On Searching" is earnest barrel-house blues with the amp turned up. Nothing earth-shatteringly special, but solid tracks nonetheless. But then, just before the final bell rings, "Saving Myself" pops up. Eschewing the slightly populist, blues-rock ambience that dominates the album, Knowles tries his hand at rather more traditional blues, complete with national guitar and solo vocals. It's simple, intricate, and infused with a dusty, care-worn character that makes one wish it had appeared higher up the track-list. The duet with Jonatha Brooke, a musician twice Knowles' age, is assured, but feels a little out of place, unsurprising considering its billing as a bonus track.
The playing on the album is exemplary. The song-writing is occasionally less so. It is indeed telling that the best track on the album, "Hear Me Lord", is a cover. However, Knowles will only get better, as exhilarating, nay terrifying, as that may seem to those old blues masters. Without running the risk of having his blues credentials revoked, Knowles has written a blues-soaked album that can break into the mainstream popular charts. A blues-pop album, if indeed such a beast can exist. Its placing in the Billboard charts appears to indicate that it can.
Note: according to the press release, the British release of the album is set for the 9th November, 2009. The album actually came out in the US on 16th June, 2009.
www.davyknowles.com/
www.myspace.com/davyknowlesbackdoorslam
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