333maxwell - Bluedoo

Hear The Track Here

I love the BBC (Ed: and this has what to do with maxwell?). Seriously, they have by far the best music programs on the planet, all of which, unfortunately cannot be accessed by anyone not living in the UK. Over the past week or so I have been watching a series called Folk America about the roots of country music in all its forms - blues of course being a major part of it. I've always been into the blues, right from the very first time I heard it. It's plain, to the point style made sure of that. Its quite astounding just how close blues and the music we call folk is, there is a direct line from the early blues pioneers to the early folk legends such as Woody Guthrie. The reason I am pointing this out right now is because 333maxwell has a very intruiging graphic on his page right now showing both of those influences. Nice job guy!! Big thumbs up..

Aaaah, but what about the bloooz?

It took some doing to get into Max's last foray into the genre - Willow Weeping (January 2009) - primarily because it seemed to me to be a bit haphazard, not something I would have expected from this usually precise musician. As always though, plenty plays reduced the opening disappointment and I ended up liking the damn thing anyway. Not so sure the same thing will happen with Bluedoo, but I don't think that has anything much to do with Maxwell as the style the track is couched in. This is 5AM, eyes like pissholes on the snow, slow blues (and I mean S-L-O-W) with a neat turn of phrase that finally wins this old grumpy old git over (yet again). Its a bit worrying though, because this is another instance where my perception of the musician and the reality clonk heads.

First off, I think that I would have preferred this track but have been more electric, this is music that should be heard through a booze haze; the brass just doesn't seem to fit at all. While I really like the odd almost waltz-like time it saunters home to, the lyrical content seems to demand a much harder, fuck everybody sound because - believe me folks - this guy (when in his cups) can bitch and moan with the best of them. So even though I ended up liking the track because it IS a 333maxwell track and I do like his style, I can't say this is a track for me. Truth is the music is spot on, it just needs a bullfrog (with a BAD attitude) to really put across the venom needed to stun a blues audience. Mind you, last time I checked he had been remixing this right up to the last second so he's probably come up with a few million other versions by now, knowing this guy.

Recommended Blues nonetheless...