This Los Angeles based blues-rock band’s music reached number four on Rolling Stone Magazine’s MP3 & More Blues Chart and spawned a nomination on Amazon.Com’s emerging blues artist list. "Bottled Up Blues" is the follow up to "Don’t Think Just Play."
From the opener, "Workin’ On Me," Harper establishes the fact that there is going to be serious major and minor pentatonic guitar runs blasting out of the speakers for the next 50+ minutes. He also plays a fine acoustic and acoustic slide guitar and this is reflected on "Wrong Man," the hilarious "Life" and the closing and touching "Train Song." Guitar players will immediately admire Harper’s tone and you hear it a lot on this 11-track CD.
Bassist Jon Stenber, drummer Bob Arkwright and special guests, vocalist Chris Cooke and Hammond B3 organ and pianist Mark Moulding provide fine accompaniment.
"Bottled Up Blues" finds things falling together just fine for this West Coast blues-rock slingers.
www.richharper.com
P.O. Box 461376, Los Angeles, Calif., 90046
This review is copyright © 2000 by Matt Alcott, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved.