[.ca] Hard Grind

From Amazon.com:
Mississippi label Fat Possum has done much for the fusion of blues and another distinctly African American music, hip-hop, but this project sounds forced and phony. R.L. Burnside's elegant and trippy Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down and the compilation New Beats from the Delta both team urban Southern MCs with the label's crusty bluesmen and sound gritty and first-rate. But this meandering, formless sonic splatter painting is terrible, despite its expert cast. Guitarist Skip McDonald, bassist Doug Wimbish, drummer Keith LeBlanc, and producer Adrian Sherwood are electronica pioneers, the guts of the band Tackhead, and sparkplugs for recordings by Ministry, African Head Charge, and Dub Syndicate. They have a grounding in funk, reggae, and rock that's given their earlier meta-music a human streak. So it's surprising there's almost no soul here. Gliding slide guitars, samples of black voices, and harmonica lines float through the mix, sliding against pumped snare drums, echo-treated cymbals, and programming. At best, in "Run Here Boy" and the rambling narrative "Blues Story II," the CD's nearest stabs at cohesive songs, a simmering, brooding mood rises, but it's broken by intrusions of dub effects, chanting, and glossolalia. What we hear are the signifiers of blues and none of its substance, mated with listless, shambling, ambient grooves. --Ted Drozdowski

ahem...:
I think it's what the editorial reviewer *wasn't* smoking that is the problem, it's all about grooves, feels and emotions. and it's all the better when the form is either incoherent or absent. let's not get into a heated debate about "what music is" or anything, but this music is supposed to meander... just like the river from which the music draws it's meaning and power.

SOMETHING TRULY DIFFERENT!:
A couple of years ago, Skip McDonald took a break from his Tack Head duties and, together with Adrian Sherwood, produced and released "The Wolf That House Built" the first so-called "ambient blues" project. That CD was a dark mix of blues artists, sound sampling, dubs and tape loops. The result was fantastic. However, because many reviewers panned the CD, sales were dismal and the disc quickly faded from the scene and is presently difficult to find although rewarding if you can get your hands on it. "Run Here Boy" is very typical of what you will find on the first release. As such, I was surprised that McDonald would once again return to the same format that had such dismal results the first time out. I for one am glad that he did. While the songs here are as dark as on "The Wolf" CD, those tunes are, at the same time, refreshing and should be welcome by anyone with an open mind. It is true, that this is not your typical blues and you will not be driving down to see this performed in concert anytime soon but at the same time, it is truly an interesting listening experience which mixes Reggae rhythms, with blues and gospel music. This is anything but traditional blues and is recommended for the adventuresome only. One thing is for sure, this will be one of the more controversial releases this year and will play to some very mixed reviews.

Modern Electric Blues & Dub, incorporated to stunning effect:
Ever wondered where 'Moby' got inspiration for his incredibly successful "Play" album???...Looking at this album will throw up some answers to those questions. Legendary producer 'Adrian Sherwood', handles the mixing side of things, and the exceptional blues-Guitar playing is courtesy of 'Skip McDonald' has understated guitar playing is a revelation in itself...adding much in atmospherics & Mood, throughout the album there is a element of the "Techno Blues" that 'Moby' would later go on to reinterpret (although amazing 'Little Axe's' album doesn't feature any electronic elements), and it's a carefully considered listening experience, with the mood gradually ensnaring the listener with seductive vocals, smoky Dubbed out Delta Blues, and various echoing reverberated loops & effects to marvellous effect. Although not the eclectic Dance-oriented beast that 'Moby's' classic album is, it's Blues-rock influences & Modern Rhythm & Blues are far more pronounced & successfully implemented.

Disappointing But Listenable:
Lost in this third Little Axe release is the edge that characterized their first, "Wolf that House Built" and the accessibility of the second Little Axe,"Slow Fuse", inexplicably unreleased in the U.S. Instead, as some reviews have noted, there's much meandering and shifting sound textures, interesting if you can pay attention to the subtlties rattling around deep in the mix but very little grit and the sense of the tragic that underlies the best blues surfaces. The conception behind Little Axe has real potential- an update of the blues preserving some of the original form but not slavishly wedded to traditional structures - but more experimentation and hardness next time would thrust the potential of this groove forward. Little Axe, IMHO, should have the menace of a roadside juke joint and not the reverential ambiance of a well-behaved country church Sunday afternoon outing.

Almost Welcome Return:
Little Axe "The house that wolf built" and Sacred Spirit II are two of my most played albums both offering a new direction of the blues which my friends can't believe I love. Little axe's second album (slow fuse) was good but in general lack direction. Hard Grind has elements of 'Wolf' but does not quite measure up. Some of the tracks are brilliant with the most significant tracks being those which a band could translated to non-dub and often involve the harmonica of Alan Glen. The album is still worth the money, but for a blues lover, some tracks head in other directions and two are absolutely infuriating: One 'Tight like that' with (I hope) a pretend preacher's spiel and another with a sendup of the 23rd psalm I could do without.

• Dark As The Night Cold As The Ground
• Blues Story II
• Run Here Boy
• One Drop Blues
• All Night Party
• Midnight Dream
• Long Way To Go
• Walk Right Shoes
• Down To The Valley
• Tight Like That
• Seek The Truth