Blues County Records
2012
There's a new Sheriff in town! Hailing from Olympia, WA, there's probably a good reason they needed a new Sheriff, someone to take charge down there... (Not to turn this into a political rant...) The Sheriff, whose real name is on a need-to-know basis, is laying down the law in such a way that you almost want to be arrested...
Shortly after making contact with The Sheriff, I received a five-song (extended play) CD called "New Sheriff In Town". Now, let me tell you... I've been listening to various variations of the blues lately, and these five songs have brought yet another shade of blue to the mix. From his Facebook page, the band performs blues "in the styles of post-war bluesmen such as Muddy Waters, BB King, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Albert King" and refer to their new material as being performed "old-school".
"I Should Have Known" kicks off this disc with its sold, very polished workmanship laying down the groove, before The Sheriff weaves a tale from first-hand perspective about a man who got involved with a woman that still had a former lover still in her heart (to where she even calls the wrong name while, well...you know)... The Sheriff has a vocal approach that after a couple listens through I began to dub as that of a crooner, in the old-school sense. Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Jim Morrison... He has a cadence that has me picturing him taking us on these musical journeys with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a cigar in the other. Not just in this song, but in the others as well.
"Start It Up" is a fun one, complete with a rumbling '51 Mercury Flathead V-8 accenting the song at various intervals. This Robben Ford cover brings in a boogie-woogie piano that lays the score and frees The Sheriff to obviously enjoy gettin' down with this fine machine (be it the car, or the woman...?). The boogie-woogie woogies on for the next couple songs, also -- and it sure is fun!
"Blues No More" ain't necessarily about not having the blues anymore, but rather not being "po no mo" -- or, as it says on BluesCounty.com: "This is a tongue-in-cheek party song celebrating the no-worries attitude of a disgusting scumbag." An enjoyable tune, even if the lyrics have you shaking your head once in a while!
"My Baby" slinks on in next. Well...not "slinks," per se, as this song is about a woman with character, one who sticks around when the chips are down and the tough are gone... One whom, when it comes to love, comes to play. An upstanding woman, through thick and thin. We can all hope for someone like that (well, I already have mine!).
The Ray Charles tune, "Hey Now," closes out this EP on a sobering note, the heart-wrenching reality of waking up alone after your lady's left you. The bass line's deep heartbeat slowly paces this piece along as you feel the pain behind the words. I'm not familiar with Ray's version, but I will tell you that The Sheriff brings it on home.
Nicely done, Sheriff -- and there'll be no need for the cuffs!
TSSutherland
2.25.14