The Blue Eyed Devils are a four piece band based in California, but they do not let that influence their style of blues. After passing a demo tape to Jimbo Mathus (producer) after a live gig, they got the call to head east to Mathus's Shorty Brown studio in North Carolina. Three days of live studio recordings later and "The Legend of Shorty Brown" was born in 2002.
The band get the show on the road with a back porch number, "Good Times," where comparisons with the likes of Cephas and Wiggins spring to mind. This is classy Piedmont style blues, with some nice picking and unamplified harp, and a nice drawl to the vocals adds to the authenticity. The band then rattle through "Buked' and Scorned" where Chris Cotton switches to resonator.
The hallmark of the Blue Eyed Devils' sound is the way that Cotton's guitar combines with Brendan Wheatley's harp in a manner that is best epitomised by the Piedmont style. The use of bass (Brett Klynn) and drums (Justin Markovits) helps to add an extra dimension to the sound, and works best on the faster numbers where they can set the tempo for the front men.
The band do not stick religiously to a single blues style, although the Piedmont style is predominant. There is also a Jimmy Reed style number ("Bare Bones Woman Blues"), and Mississippi gets a look in too, where "3am Blues" tips its hat in the direction of Fred MacDowell. There is also a strong Latin flavor to the excellent "Lone Mountain."
"The Legend of Shorty Brown" is a good album. The Blue Eyed Devils come across as a talented bunch of musicians who certainly know their stuff. They also sound like they were enjoying themselves during the recording. Listeners, particularly fans of Piedmont blues, will also get plenty of enjoyment from "The Legend of Shorty Brown."
www.theblueeyeddevils.com
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