CD Review
Gator Blues
The Screamin' Ab-Dabs
(No label No Cat#)
by Gordon Baxter
Review date: February 2005
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"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by The Blues Foundation
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Gator Blues hail from the heart of prime British rhythm and blues country in Essex. Back in the mid-late 1970s there were several cracking R&B bands that emerged from Southend in particular, with the best known probably being Dr Feelgood. These bands carried much of the energy of the new wave scene, but without the anarchic clothing and haircuts. Gator Blues' "The Screamin' Ab-Dabs" shows that this spirit is not yet dead.
The band set their stall out on the opening "Lost On The Way To Hell" which makes you want to dip more than your toe into Gator Blues' water. Those who do will be pleasantly surprised by what follows. Shades of Chuck Berry ("Man Overboard"), Slim Harp ("Speak of the Devil"), and the UK's Dr Feelgood ("Crossin' Over", one of only two covers) are all readily detectable.
UK blues bands tend not to get hung up too much on slavish adherence to particular styles, and Gator Blues are no exception. For the most part they blend together large elements of Louisiana with a healthy dose of Chicago. The end result is invariably entertaining, and often very catchy. The band are at their most sublime on the title track, an instrumental work-out, with harp very much to the fore, and on the closer, Mickey Jupp's "Standing At The Crossroads Again," which will have you singing along in no time at all.
"The Screamin' Ab-Dabs" is a prime slice of British R&B. Anyone who likes bands such as Nine Below Zero or Dr Feelgood will identify with Gator Blues' approach to the music. If you can imagine the early Rolling Stones brought up to date, then you have some idea of the sort of sound that Gator Blues make. It all makes for just over three quarters of an hour's worth of solid entertainment that is well worth tracking down.
www.gatorblues.co.uk
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