CD Review
Clarence Brewer
"King Clarentz"
HMG (1007)
by Gordon Baxter
Review date: December 1999
|
 |
1999 KBA Award Winner
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by the Blues Foundation
| |
Take R.L. Burnside, add in a bit of John Lee Hooker, some slide guitar that combines elements of Elmore James and Earl Hooker, and top it all off with impassioned vocals. The end result is Clarence Brewer's excellent "King Clarentz" album. It has a raw intensity more usually associated with Fat Possum recordings. The 12 songs (8 originals), cover a variety of topics. The rockabilly-like "Bed Spring Boogie" shows Brewer's sense of humor, while "Fast Food Slow Death" and "Old GOP" show that he also has a handle on contemporary American issues too. Best tracks include the aforementioned "Bed Spring Boogie," the Elmore James-like "Spyin' and Talkin'" the spooky "Halloween Blues" complete with Screamin' Jay Hawkins style vocals, and the stripped down reworking of Robin Trower's "Whiskey Train."
HMG/Hightone Records: www.hightone.com
This review is copyright © 1999 by Gordon Baxter, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved.
|
|
E-mail Ray Stiles at: 
We build websites