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The Pinnacle of West Australian |
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The CD is now available for sale at all TRUE BLUE PROMOTIONS events, through the TRUE BLUE RECORDS website, and at all discerning record stores around Perth, Fremantle and the rest of WA. |
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'PINNACLES' CD REVIEWS |
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MBAS: True Blue. Blues 'n' Roots. Various:" THE PINNACLE OF WEST AUSTRALIA.1" Here is a CD composed of seven of West Australias finest Blues and Roots performers. Each act has two tracks on this CD which has been well produced and performed on. The quality of the acts is a tribute to the high standard of all the musicians. There is a range of styles varying from acoustic to electric mainstream rock & blues. I found all the tracks to be well performed on and the whole CD to be very entertaining to listen to. Overall I found the CD to be a fine example of Australian Blues and Roots. This CD is released and available online from. www.truebluerecords.com Back to Top |
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LBC: 'The Pinnacle of West Australian True Blue Blues and Roots- Volume 1' (Available via www.truebluerecords.com for $20 each) When my 17 year old son, who cut his listening teeth on Clapton, Vaughan, Mal Eastick, Bondi Cigars, Gary Moore and all the Kings, waxed eloquent about a CD featuring locals from the Perth WA Blues and Roots scene, I was keen to listen to each track closely. While the title seemed a tad hyperbolic at first, by the end of my first listening I was pleased that True Blue records had paid due recognition to the lofty stature of the musicianship on offer. The choice of 'Pinnacle' in the title alludes to an ascension above the mediocrity which pervades the music of bands covering the style and techniques, if not the actual songs, of big name or commercially successful outfits. That's not to say these Blues Roots originals don't occasionally doff their caps to some great past and contemporary stylists, but it is done tastefully, almost surreptitiously as they all stamp a real, proud authority on their original status. So, to the bands. The Stingray was a Chevrolet Corvette classic, embodying the apparently incompatible, chic and grunt. The W.A band 'Stingray' is aptly named being an outfit which oozes class, understated power and is an instant attention-grabber. Great blues vocals invoking flash memories of Stevie Ray and Max Merrit, dextrous, agile guitar licks and a powerful bass endear this band to any blues lover. A wicked, menacing organ accompaniment further enriches two superb Stingray tracks; Great for dancing or for the listener who wants to get dragged into a sweet slipstream. For those who enjoy a more traditional, acoustic sound, Richie Pavledis provides a clever rhythmic picking style in the vein of Jeff Lang or Phil Manning. Richie's track 'I Became' is driving, forceful and intense and his voice fits well with the dark lyrics. Being a lover of anything that genuinely swings, I was immediately taken with Indigo Duck's uncluttered, fluid good-time tracks. Lead vocals can best be described as a Dutch Tilders/Randy Newman cross laced with cigar smoke, single malt and gravel. This, along with fabulously crisp, lyrical harmonica and a keyboardist obviously born under a well-lit neon sign saying HONKY-TONK MESSIAH, stamps the 'Duck' as a dance floor magnet. T-Bone Walker would be smiling from above as they acknowledge him, but they certainly don't need him. 'Man About a Dog's' tracks show very capable, lovely lead guitar layered nicely over some superb bass which really pumps the music along. 'Production Worker Blues' starts with a short Blueberry Hill melody which mutates beautifully into a sleazy twelve bar blue collar story about the perils of mindless labour. Vocals and percussion are great for blues and none of the instrumental work is overdone. Mike De Velta's up tempo 'Come Back Baby' features an extremely talented harp player who drives the lively pace of this punchy, rootsy toe-tapper. Spoons, bones or other simple percussion device add a brilliantly primitive under-current to a track featuring rich, clear vocals. His 'Fifteen Days' is the least bluesy of all the tracks but is a very tuneful acoustic piece. The slight hollow echo effect on the mike and bluish turnarounds make this an interesting listen. Blue Shaddy's 'Bad World' features some haunting, wailing harp and a blues/rock guitar style, strong vocals and a great lead break reminiscent of the 'Night Hawks' from Washington D.C. 'Walk a Mile' has all of this in a pumping, driving sliding style where the track feels ready to pounce. And pounce it does as it feels like they are jamming from the start. John Meyers Blues Express takes another automotive analogy well. 'Six String Blues' is performed by a band not trying to impress, but who do none-the-less. The electric lead is understated. A Ferrari idling. A 900 Duke on a quiet Sunday run. A throttle blatt now and then an indication of lots more in store. To say 'a nod of the head towards Jimmie V's Thunderbirds' is only to hint at the overall style of the track. The vocals are great and the melody is as deliciously unpredictable as the first time I heard Bob Seger's 'Long Twin Silver Line' A superb, articulate, beautifully timed lead solo at the end leaves the listener thoroughly satisfied that the blues in Australia is in safe hands. 'Road Train' reveals John Meyer's love of a walk on the wild slide. With a bottle neck enthusiasm not always well demonstrated outside a Dave Hole gig, this track has a lively pulse, a great rhythm and some superb excursions well past the cut away. By way of summary, True Blue Records have done much to broaden the fan base of some extraordinarily talented musicians from the West. Blues and Roots lovers are always seeking new listening experiences and I have been heartened by the depth of original talent on this fine compilation CD. 'Headmaster', Aka Steve Barnes, Launceston Blues Club Back to Top |
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CBS: CD Review by Michael Hardy The Pinnacle of West Australian… Volume One True Blue Records (www.truebluerecords.com) This compilation features seven contemporary Western Australian blues acts with two tracks contributed from each. Blues is a broad church and the selections here cover a substantial range of the genre. Richie Pavledis opens the disc with an impeccably played (and extraordinarily well recorded) live performance of his Carnarvon Shuffle: one man with an acoustic guitar, expressive voice and something to say in his lyrics. Contrast this with the electric swing/rock blues of Stingray, Man About a Dog, and John Meyer’s Blues Express and you get a strong impression that blues (and all her children) have a safe and nurturing home over in the west of Oz. From further out on a limb comes Blue Shaddy’s Bad World: a track whose heritage seems to derive more from pub rock than blues traditions. Nonetheless their second contribution, Walk a Mile is a classic one chord boogie shuffle with unmistakable blues ‘n’ roots credentials. Indigo Duck give us an all-in party in a recording studio with The Indigo Shuffle: authentic ‘50s jump blues captured with spontaneity and better microphones. Mike De Velta’s track, 15 Days is the most sophisticated on the disc. A solo acoustic song full of rich jazz harmonies reminding us that the boundary between blues and not blues cannot be easily defined, and perhaps nor should it. Being immediately followed by Roadtrain (John Meyer) we are also reminded that even truckin’ songs can have their place in blues. Variety is the spice of life, and is also the spice of this CD. This disc has every right to be in your blues collection. Listening through it is like tuning in to a great blues radio station minus the DJ and free community service announcements. All the tracks are cleanly played and recorded, and maintain a generally high standard of production throughout. The Pinnacle of West Australian… Volume One showcases seven fine acts worthy of a wider national and international audience. It is a satisfying album in its own right but will also tempt the listener to seek out the various original releases from which the tracks have been sourced. And having heard this album, would you go out of your way to catch these acts live? Yes. Absolutely. Michael Hardy, 6 May 2005 Back to Top |
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SAR&B: The Pinnacle of West Australian True Blue Blues ‘n’ Roots Vol 1 2005 www.truebluerecords.com PO BOX 914, Rockingham West. Aust 6168. A sampler of 7 WA blues acts. 2 tracks each, original written by the performers, all drawn from current releases. If this is any indication roots blues appears full grown & muscled up in W.Aust. All players sound as if they are well used to pumping up audiences around that big state. The electric wail of John Meyer’s ‘Roadtrain’ can get you jumpin as you might want from someone who arrived via Chain & Rose Tatoo. (for overseas readers : legendary Oz groups of prehistoric eras ). The acoustic rootsy blues numbers are the charmers here too like soloist Richie Pavledis, in “Carnarvon Shuffle”& ‘I Became’ Live at Perth’s Blues Club. Mike De Velta’s skiffly vocals over his dobro & ukulele are irresistable. His rickety-tickety pace & frenetic harmonica on ’Come back baby’ are plain old good time fun. Indigo Duck ‘s great acoustic jug band ragtime track ‘Restless Blues’ is interesting as what they chorus sounds like ‘ racist blues’ ?. Stingray’s organ swirls gives their riffing blues a special flavour. Then there’s a bunch with a tricky bush moniker ..‘Man about a dog’ And they’ve got attitude too as they strut through Mandurah Boogie …‘They come up from the south supplies are down…’ giving us a proper’ them n us’, ‘city v the bush’, Perth v North West, but all in good fun ofcourse. It’s these hints of regionalism within this W.A. collection that gives it a certain fascination. If you ever get up there it would be a blessing to score them working the local on a Saturday night. LTJ Back to Top |
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The CD is now available for sale at all TRUE BLUE PROMOTIONS events, through the TRUE BLUE RECORDS website, and at all discerning record stores around Perth, Fremantle and the rest of WA. |
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