Dave Fields - All In

2014 – FMI Records

By Phillip Smith; Dec 13, 2014

All In, the latest release from New York City bluesman Dave Fields, is a great guitar-centric album to settle in with, for a good listen.  The songs are fresh, and Field’s guitar playing is magnificent.  He not only plays all instruments on most of the eleven tracks, he produced the album as well.

Fields ushers the listener into the album like a lion, with a ferocious guitar intro and no-nonsense blues in “Changes In My Life”.  More of the same bluesy goodness can be found on “Wake Up Jasper”.  Fields tackles Robert Johnson’s “Crossroad” in a more gritty nature than usual, and breathes new life into this timeless tale of regret and damnation.  One can feel the raw energy surging through the guitar as he plays.  Fields then takes Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog”, flips it one hundred eighty degrees, and turns it into a fun danceable number with an infusion of funk. 

Two other favorites include, “Voodoo Eyes”, and “Dragonfly”.  Infectious grooves and soulful guitar licks accompanied by Vladamir Barsky on organ give “Voodoo Eyes” a retro late-sixties vibe.  I love the way “Dragonfly”, an elegantly melodic song, slowly builds to a fantastic eruption of sound.  This track which features Kenny Soule on drums and Tony Tino on bass, seemingly draws a lot of inspiration from the band, Yes.

One can surely tell, Dave Fields went “All In” on the creation of this album.  It’s definitely worth checking out.