Tim Elliott
has been piloting Blues’N’Trouble for thirty years now, so it’s little wonder
that they know how to warm up a crowd on a cold December night. Bo Diddley’s ‘Cadillac’ may be a rather prosaic
set opener, but they hit their stride with the soulful ‘In My World’ and the country
blues ‘Travellin Light’.
The
template is Chicago R&B with a shot of boogie, and in that vein ‘Five Long
Years’ is a perfect fit, though ‘Rock The Joint’ sounds like just what it is –
a forerunner to ‘Rock Around The Clock’.
But when they build up a head of steam, as on the self-penned ‘Try
Anything Twice’ and the jump blues of ‘Downtown Saturday Night’, the
temperature starts to climb. And the more the sound becomes infused with Feelgood-ish
energy, the hotter it gets, with Elliott reaching for a Howlin’ Wolf/Lee
Brilleaux growl on vocals and harp.
Meantime Angus Rose adds some piano and organ frills to the solid
foundations.
‘Watermelon
Baby’ and the brief but bonkers ‘Up Against The Wall For A Quickie’ add a
further dash of roguish pub rock sensibility to the mix. The odd song along the way may not quite hit
the bullseye, but it really doesn’t matter.
B’N’T know how to turn up, plug in, and crank up a party.
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