Oct/Nov 2007
'Hard Luck ' CD Review
Thirty-year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist Matt Walsh's blond pompadour suggests an affinity for rockabilly, and several songs on this, his second album, do have a retro feel. But what Walsh does best on most of this disc's dozen originals is to conjure up the spirit of early- to mid-period Muddy Waters.
It doesn't hurt to have Waters' former guitarist, Bob Margolin, in the production booth: Margolin contributes guitar work to the brooding, ecumenical title track and the romping opener, "Leaving My Baby", which combines the bayou rockabilly of Dale Hawkins with the swamp stomp of Lightnin' Slim. Walsh handles electric and acoustic guitars with support from a febrile rythm section of upright bass and thumping drums, as well as a second guitar on six tracks.
Walsh's fierce, slashing slide on "Why My Baby Ain't Around" is reminiscent of classic Waters tunes "She Moves Me" and "Screamin' and Cryin", and his declamatory vocals, though far dryer and not as dark as Muddy's, posses the master's knowing, virile aloofness.
Besides "Leaving My Baby," three other tunes break the Muddy mold: the Jimmy Reed-like "Pointless Blues," a vocal duet with drummer Chuck Cotton featuring Matt Hill's lap Dobro and Max Drake's mandolin: "Sit and Wonder" a gentle breeze of a slow blues in the style of T-Bone Walker; and the set-closing anomaly "Woody's Rag", a two-minute instrumental that sounds like an after-thought in comparison to the tough stuff that proceeded it.
Despite the derivative nature of most of his originals, Walsh's swagger and passion reveal deep love and respect for the traditions he honors. Fans of classic Chicago blues ans well as rockabilly lovers will find much to enjoy on the uncompromising Hard Luck.
- Thomas J. Cullen III