2026 – Alligator Records
Release Date : March 27, 2026
By Phillip
Smith; March
21, 2026
The vibrant energy of Selwyn
Birchwood has captivated me once again, this time with his latest album Electric
Swamp Funkin’ Blues from Alligator Records. Birchwood’s blues
journey has been fascinating to watch over the years: from winning the International
Blues Challenge in 2013, to being awarded Best New Artist Debut at the
2015 Blues Music Awards, and pulling down Song of the Year for “I’d
Climb Mountains” at the 2022 Blues Music Awards. Besides that, he has been blessed with five
other BMA nominations over the years. The man is indeed a blues
powerhouse. Self-produced, with Birchwood on guitar/vocals/lap steel
guitar, this album is loaded with ten bodacious tracks of all-original gobsmacking
blues featuring Regi Oliver on baritone/tenor/alto/bass saxophones and
flutes, Donald “Huff” Wright on bass guitar, Henley Connor III on
drums/percussion, John Hetherington on Hammond B3 organ, keyboards,
and piano, Eli Bishop on violin, viola, and cello, with Briana Lutzi
and Taylor Opie as background vocalists.
When I was seven years old, I remember watching the Apollo 11 mission in which a lunar module named Eagle successfully landed upon the surface of the moon. Thrilling in and of itself, I knew the real juicy bits of the mission were to follow as soon as Neil Armstrong spoke those unforgettable words that would forever be woven into history. Birchwood’s guitar-shredding “The Eagle Has Landed” geniusly captures the essence of that moment with music. Short but sweet, the song is a bold-as-hell instrumental opener. Afterward, the rejoicing begins with the infectious title-track “The Church of Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues”. If only there were a denomination of churches with this kind of inspiration, I’d be among the first in line to join. Riding atop a funk-filled, brass-accompanied groove, Birchwood shares his thoughts about artificial intelligence and the infectiousness of social media with the soulfully delivered commentary “All Hail the Algorithm”. A smile stretches across my face every time I hear the cleverly dropped squeaks and chirps of a dial-up modem lead right into his amazing guitar solo. It’s great to hear him cut fully loose on slide guitar with “Should’ve Never Gotten Out of Bed”. Slathered abundantly with that southern home-cooked delta twang, Birchwood’s performance is immaculate. With a fiery finesse, he delivers the blues so very elegantly on “Soulmate”, the definitive looking-for-love track of the album. Hetherington’s screaming organ alongside propels the intensity of this astounding song, and I love every bit of it.
With a surge of positive energy, Selwyn Birchwood’s Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues creates a soulful, musical journey for the listener. It’s a terrific recording from beginning to end.
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For more information about Selwyn
Birchwood, visit his website at https://www.selwynbirchwood.com
Find Selwyn Birchwood’s
music on Bandcamp