Modern electric blues can get a bad rep at times. And it’s no wonder, when high falutin’ studios attempt to polish the guts and soul out of the raw recording or when some loser takes the notion that he’s the second coming of Clapton. So having considered the above and more, it was nice to hear “Hatchet Blues”, the latest release from the Massachusetts-based Mike Hallal Band.
While - wisely - avoiding a political tinge on the album overall, “World’s a Place” takes lyrical strength from Barack Obama’s book, “Dreams From My Father”. An unusual source of inspiration, surely, but the song itself is just funky enough to work. Showing considerable knowledge of old-time blues, revised versions of “Poor Me” and “Doctor Blues” (by Charlie Patton and Henry Townsend respectively) grace this album while “Outside Woman Blues”, popularised by Cream, is also given favourable treatment.
The title track takes on an almost tribal sincerity, a slow-burning rumination on revenge by way of the blues. Around the halfway mark, we hear a little of Hamlet, further proving that this band are not short on influences. Hallal’s co-conspirators on this release are Chris Schluntz on lead guitar, Robert DeCorte on bass, Jim Antonelis on drums, and Doug Batchelder with additional instruments and vocals. Hallal’s voice is distinctive enough and, while the raw musicianship to be heard is consistently pleasing, Schluntz’s tone in particular stands out.
Tracklist:
01. Skywriting 04:18
02. World's a Place 05:10
03. Outside Woman Blues 05:26
04. Crying At the Sun 06:28
05. Liv 05:36
06. Last of the Great Train Robbers 05:00
07. Day At the Races 04:23
08. Poor Me 03:51
09. Doctor Blues 04:47
10. Hatchet Blues 09:14
11. Going Down 03:59
12. Levels Jam (Bonus Track) 06:13
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