Maybe it’s just me, but the
newest release, Beyond the Crossroads
by Peter Karp and Sue Foley gets more interesting with each subsequent listen. A common thread runs through each song, tying
them all together in a neat little musical present for the listener. This thread is the personal relationship
between the artists themselves. A follow
up to their prior album, He Said, She
Said, based on their back-and-forth emails and long distance calls, these songs
delve a bit further into their hearts and souls, revealing a refreshing
positivity.
The harmonies on this album
are very nice. Sue Foley has a sultry
and slightly raspy voice that can really belt out some lyrics when she needs
to. To hear what I am talking about,
check out the song “Analyze’n Blues”.
What really puts the icing on the cake for this track is Karp throwing
down with his National Steel ResoRocket slide. This one ranks high on the ‘cool
meter’. I love this song.
Karp and Foley playfully
dance around several different genres while keeping the album as a whole really
bluesy. Take the song, “At the Same
Time”, for example. As Karp and Foley alternate
vocals with Karp on slide, a fantastic horn section provided by the Swingadelic
Horns spice up this slow-tempo Louisiana creole flavored duet. It’s Beale Street meeting Bourbon Street. For those who appreciate bluegrass, and have a
very short attention span, check out the very fast paced instrumental, ‘Plank
Spank’. Although it clocks in at just
less than two minutes in length, Karp and Foley play their hearts out and have
now earned a spot on my list of performers I want to catch live in concert.
Rating 8 out of 10
