The one-man harmonica beatbox experience, Son Of Dave, with his latest batch of bluesy thumps, bumps and wiggles.

Release Date:  8th April 2022

Label: Goddamn Records / Kartel Music Group

Formats: CD / digital

The new collection from maverick bluesman Son Of Dave – that most enigmatic and inspirational purveyor of raw blues fuelled sounds. Sounds which have featured on Breaking Bad, True Blood and a fistful of soundtracks to boot. Back to his signature sound after the diversion of the songwriterly Call Me A Cab record, he’s full of the joys of a harp blown storm.

A set of short sharp organic blues shocks, the ten tracks stack up to create a raw and rustic rumpus. It’s a mostly relaxed and easy on the mood experience. On the one hand, there’s a lazy days and laconic vibe about tracks such as Remaining Days that hardly breaks into a sweat; the epitome of the phrase so laid back it’s almost horizontal. You get the stripped back vibe too as Someday Soon combines simple blues harp and conga with Jump Hoops doing much the same. Handclaps and space being the main accompaniment to the harp honk, while the impressive funk chops in Knock Off are captured before they fade out – giving the impression that the groove likely continued several more minutes after the fact. Chunky shuffles on the other hand are the order of the day. Waste Time With Me is packed with deep tones and a nagging earworm and the title track is one that you could see any of the major names in the genre grabbing a hold of by the scruff of the neck and giving a blast.

Bluesy grooves run amok on Wild Wild You where the repetitive rhythm serves as a base for the harp to get a thorough workout. You may even pick up a new phrase to try on your pals at work – I’m Going Monkey For Your Love is not only a brilliant one to add to the word bank, but the track is also a heady little shuffle with a sprightly tempo and I’ve got visions of Uma Thurman and John Travolta kicking off their shoes and cutting a rug to this in Pulp Fiction.

And like Ben Elton used to say in the early days of alternative comedy, we all like a bit o’ politics, so there’s a ‘tribute’ of sorts to that fine British institution, The Daily Mail; all “selling lies to the suckers” and squeaky backing vox. Although it’s a more detailed arrangement take time during the album to admire the intimate production (cheers Alex ‘Captain Future’ McGowan) that pays due respect to the up close and live in the living room feel.

And suddenly it’s all over. The Sunday morning reverie of washing the car while swinging your ass to Son Of Dave is broken. The butt has been kicked or at least lightly squeezed by some how-it-should- be-done, ‘proper’ blues – not just what The Beatles might have called Rubber Blues. No meeting at the crossroads or reverting to the standard blues cliches. Call Me King is a half hour you won’t get back but a half-hour that you’d be perfectly happy to continue to reinvest in.

Here’s a taste of Son Of Dave:

Son Of Dave online:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Youtube / Bandcamp

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