#652 : Robert Connely Farr - Pandora Sessions (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

2023 – Robert Connely Farr

By Phillip Smith; Dec. 30, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Robert Connely Farr continues to intrigue me with his dark, ominous brand of blues.  Pandora Sessions, his eleventh release, is dedicated to the memory of Mississippi bluesman RL. Boyce.  Farr originally from Bolton, Mississippi, now resides in Vancouver, Canada.  His music is deeply rooted in the Bentonia, Mississippi style of blues and wonderfully honors his mentors Boyce, and Grammy Nominee Jimmy “Duck” Holmes.  According to Farr, this record is modeled after gigs in which he played along with Boyce and Holmes in Bentonia.  They used vintage microphones and whatever was at hand.  Produced by Jay Bundy Johnson and written by Farr, Pandora Sessions has an incredible way of transporting the listener through a magical portal to their own personal juke joint.

The subject of inevitable mortality takes center stage in “Everybody’s Dyin’” as Farr’s lyrics ride the wave of a hypnotic groove.  The topic returns with an internal perspective on “Getting Tired of Getting Old”.  The song has a simmering, swampy delivery and connects with a dire and on-point punch.  Farr creates a mysterious atmosphere when he sings about the “Night Train”.  An intoxicating rhythm which vibrates right down to the bone follows with “Take it Slow”.  The song has me in a quandary, trying to decipher what happened in Jackson and Natchez Town.  The weight of Farr’s voice is heavy with sadness as he sings about wanting to go home in “Oh Lord”.  This one really taps into my empathetic core.    

Farr’s music is created with the spark of a musical linage of generations of bluesmen, and it shows in both his writing and performances.  Pandora Sessions is pure unadulterated blues at its best.           

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For more information about the artist, visit this website : https://www.robertconnelyfarr.com

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Robert Connely Farr at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Robert+Connely+Farr

 

Click on the link below to purchase this terrific album from Bandcamp

 

#612 : Robert Connely Farr - Cherry Ball (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Robert Connely Farr

By Phillip Smith; May 7, 2023

Release Date : April 14, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Robert Connely Farr’s name is planted on my list of favorite blues artists these days.  I’ve been hooked on his music since hearing his 2019 release Dirty South Blues.  Hailing from Bolton, Mississippi and now residing in Vancouver, B.C., Farr was mentored by Grammy-nominated Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes, cementing his style in Bentonia Blues.  For this recording, Farr selected a baker’s dozen of his coolest tracks and taped them live at Fox Cabaret in Vancouver with bandmembers Jay Bundy Johnson and Tom Hillifer.

The set begins with a splendid, dark performance of the 1929 Charlie Patton side “Screaming & Hollering” which also appears on Farr’s 2022 Shake It album.  He delivers the hard-driving Jack Owens-penned song “Cherry Ball” with fearless abandon down a steamy groove fueled by Johnson and Hillifer.  The bassline digs deep into the marrow of my bones as he wonderfully takes on Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes’ “Going Away to Leave You”.  If one is playing Bentonia blues, there’s going to have to be some Skip James in the mix.  Farr pleads for just one more chance as he delivers a brilliant and unsettling rendition of James’ “Devil Got My Woman” taught to him by Holmes.            

Farr’s original songs truly resonate and are comparable to the those from the delta greats.  “Going Down South”, with its timelessness and infectious hook, pulls me right in.  “Lefty” on the other hand, clocks in with a two-and-a-quarter minute long hellacious serving of high-octane blues.  They are both great songs.

Cherry Ball is a terrific listen from beginning to end.  For those who have not listened to Farr’s work, this album is an excellent gateway recording to introduce yourself to his work. 

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TRACK LISTINGS

 

1. Screaming & Hollering (live) 03:22

2. Buddy Brown (live) 02:27 video

3. Cherry Ball (live) 02:40 video

4. Going Away To Leave You (live) 02:23

5. Going Down South (live) 02:46

6. Devil Got My Woman (live) 02:41

7. Go Cat Go (live) 02:48

8. Lefty (live) 02:14

9. Ain't No Other Way (live) 02:42 video

10. Trouble (live) 03:21

11. Knock On Wood (live) 02:49

12. Shake It (live) 02:57

13. Girl In The Holler (live) 02:34

 

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Robert Connely Farr at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Robert+Connely+Farr

 

 

 

 

Available on Bandcamp

#581 > Robert Connely Farr - Shake It (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Robert Connely Farr

By Phillip Smith; Oct. 22, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

The music of Robert Connely Farr caught my attention back in 2019 with the release of his Dirty South Blues album.  It was absolutely wonderful.  His latest release Shake It continues to keep my attention glued to his works and marks his ninth studio album.  Farr excels at understanding the mechanics and history of the Bentonia style of blues as taught to him by his hometown hero 2020 Grammy Nominee for Best Traditional Blues Album, Jimmy ”Duck” Holmes. Seventy-five-year-old Holmes, living a life submersed in the blues, owns the oldest surviving juke joint in the world, The Blue Front Café located in Bentonia, Mississippi.  With Farr on lead guitar and vocals, the rest of the band on this nine-track gem is comprised of drummer Jay Bundy Johnson, bassist Tom Hillifer, and shaker/back up vocalist Liam Moes.  

The album starts off with a brilliant revision of Charlie Patton’s 1929 side “Screaming & Hollering”.  Farr breathes new life into the song with beautifully haunting guitar riffs and an expressive Bentonia approach.  Following next is a splendid cover of Jimmy “Duck” Holmes’ “Going Away to Leave You”, from his 2013 release All Night Long.  Riding a wave of heavy bass and injected with a fist-full of distortion, the song penetrates right to the bone. 

Hillifer and Johnson lay down a really funky rhythm for “Miss My Baby”, one of the six original songs, penned by Farr.  This call-out of the corporate world’s working trends running amok is quite infectious.  I love the rolling, swampy attack of title-track “Shake It”.  It’s gets right up there in my face staring me down eye-to-eye.  For the closer, Farr brushes off Tommy McClennan’s 1941 78 he cut for Bluebird Records “Sugar Mama”.  I can hear the desperation in his voice.  It’s so heavy.

Shake It marks my fourth review for Farr, and that’s a very positive statement.  I highly recommend this album. 

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Other PhillyCheeze Reviews for Robert Connely Farr:

 

Dirty South Blues

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2019/05/391-robert-connely-farr-rebeltone-boys.html

 

Country Supper

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2020/12/474-robert-connely-farr-country-supper.html

 

Ain’t Enough

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/01/535-robert-connely-farr-aint-enough.html

 

Find Robert Connely Farr on bandcamp.com

#474 : Robert Connely Farr - Country Supper

 

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. 

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For more information about the artist, visit this website: robertconnelyfarr.com

 

 

Take a listen to the album on Apple Music, and if you decide to purchase it, use my special link.  This helps keep the PhillyCheeze site going.