Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil - Don't Waste Your Time - No Money Here

This 6-song EP is the most recent release from this amazing duo and it picks up where Shallow Hearts left off - more wild rockin' blues-punk. At the show, Peter was telling me that he thought that this was more representative of their current sound and I can vouch for that - right from the start, "Firefly" sounds like the band at their live best. They use dynamics to great effect in "Badman's Love Song" while "Break a Man" is a primal blues stomp. Nice finger-pickin' highlights in "Share the Covers" and "Pack My Bags" is a smokin', sultry groover that adds some cool keys and it sounds like Lyndsay Johnson is back on vocals - a true treat. The title cut closes the disc, barreling out like a smokestack lightnin' locomotive.

Taking from traditions from Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters to Howlin' Wolf to Charlie Musselwhite to Led Zep to Gun Club and Poison 13, these two pull from the past but add their own heart and soul and come up with something truly exceptional. Really can't say enough good about this!

PS - Been driving me crazy, but I just realized that this kinda reminds me of some of the bluesier moments from Black Moses - Jim Jones' band between Thee Hypnotics and the Jim Jones Revue. Good stuff indeed!