Southside Blues $1.07

About Southside Blues

RHYTHMS MAGAZINE CD REVIEW

Longtime blues devotee Andrew Swann's
impressive CV boasts extensive experience
playing with household names at home
and abroad from the realms of blues, iazz;
rock and pop. Over many years touring
worldwide, Swann's broad versatility as
a drummer has been well established. A
onetime music student at the Victorian
College of the Arts, Swann is also a
composer who plays piano, guitar and
harmonica. Southside Blues, as well as
demonstrating his proficiency on the latter
two instruments, exhibits Swann's
competent vocal abilities across a range
of traditional blues and gospel selections.
With a voice resembling that of Randy
Newman, he performs three original tunes
and ten others in a country blues format
aided sparsely by piano, bass, drums and
percussion backing.
A raw, no-frills project, this three-quarter hour
recording made at Preston Studios in
Melbourne avoids overdubs and technical
embellishments retaining an authentic air
consistent with its vintage material. Three
songs - the lazy 'Automobile' and 'Katie
May' and the upbeat 'Fan lt'- are sourced
from Lightnin' Hopkins, obviously a major
inspiration. Among others derived from
Jimmy McCracklin, JimmyWitherspoon and
Blind Willie Johnson sit uncluttered takes
on Bob Dylan 'lt Takes a Lot To Laugh,
It Takes a Train to Cry' and Willie Dixon's
'Wang Dang Doodle'. Inserting occasional
lead fills, Swann plays a steady acoustic
rhythm guitar largely devoid of
fundamental riff-based structures. His
electric guitar - in distortion mode adding
grit to 'Move Me' and in a smooth-toned
setting for 'Bleedin' Heart'- evokes a
sound reminiscent of Sam Phillips' early
'5os Sun Studio waxings. Swann plans a
second Southside Blues instalment where
he will explore the domain of city blues.
Based on this exercise, it too should be a
CD worth a listen.
Al Hensley – Rhythms magazine, Sept 2004