2020 – Robert Connely
Farr
By Phillip Smith; Dec. 5, 2020
From the first listen to Robert Connely Farr’s 2019 Dirty South album, I was hooked. His music is deep and infectious, his words are sung with an honest conviction. Mentored in the Bentonia, Mississippi Style of Delta Blues by Jimmy “Duck” Holmes (2021 Grammy Award Nominee for Traditional Blues Album), Farr now resides in Vancouver, BC. His latest album, Country Supper, stays the course with a batch of sixteen absolutely killer tracks. Farr, on guitar and vocals, is joined by guitarist Jon Wood, bassist Tom Hillifer aka ”Tommy Ribs”, and drummer Jay Bundy Johnson.
“Cypress Grove”, the classic Skip James song gets the album going with its slow ominous groove. The sound of Farr’s slide guitar is beautifully haunting. Once this is concluded, Farr ferociously rips into Leo Bud Welch’s “Girl in the Holler”. The adrenalized beat Johnson throws down on this song is fabulous. Farr elegantly covers two songs by Jimmy “Duck” Holmes as well: “Train Train” and “Must’ve Been the Devil”. Heart-wrenching and performed with a finesse, they are indeed a respectable pair of tributes to his friend and mentor.
Farr’s original blues compositions deserve highest accolades. “Water’s Rising” vividly paints a dire scene on the canvas of a dark and ominous melody. I love the rolling and unstoppable groove on “Cadillac Problems”. With a thunderous bassline from Tommy Ribs, the intoxicating “Can’t Be Satisfied” leaves me in an unsettled state of impending doom. Like a locomotive barreling down the tracks, “Bad Bad Feeling” barrels down a hypnotic groove laced with a slab of psychedelic guitar licks. it’s so damn good.
Country Supper is a downright gem of an album. Farr’s music truly deserves to be heard.
For more information about the artist, visit this website: robertconnelyfarr.com
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