Description
“Recording live to tape meant absolute commitment to every moment of the songs.” – Blues Arcadia
Listen to Blues Arcadia and they will take you on a blues train, riding shades of rock, country and Motown. On tracks “Take The Money”, “Rockin’ Chair”, “Miss Lonely” and “Operator Please”, Songwriters Alan Boyle (vocals) and Chris Harvey (guitar) upbeat and raunchy story-telling is sometimes interspersed with stabbing horns, and plenty of blues-infused instrumental conversations from guitar and keys.
“Here Comes The Rain” is a timeless ballad. Boyle’s voice almost cracks painfully over Harvey’s gentle guitar; simple, honest, beautiful. Pianist Parmis Rose joins with clear, proud chords, then Rose opens “Time and Again” with Boyle, her open modern chords presenting all sorts of possibilities for this song, before Harvey’s guitar paints a rhythm ‘n’ blues hue over it.
“Corner Girls” is the lackadaisical blues of dusty roads, wooden shacks, Southern Comfort and the anticipation that comes with ice in a glass. Boyle sings of bitterness and the need to move on, his whiskey-laced tones underscored by honky-tonk keys and the plaintive wail of Harvey’s lead guitar.
“You’ve got to be on the same page, musically speaking, when you’re writing songs. I think as a band within the blues genre, we have something different to say. We’re not trying to sound like everybody else, and we are finding our own voice, which is where the songwriting comes into it. We draw on all kinds of music. Our new album is not necessarily a blues album, it’s got all kinds of stuff going on.” – Chris Harvey
