#441 : Emily Duff - Born on the Ground

2020 – Emily Duff / Mr Mudshow Music
By Phillip Smith; April 18, 2020

I’m loving this new disc, Born on the Ground from New York City troubadour Emily Duff.  Her introspective lyrics on this nine-track break-up album are wonderfully delivered with a heaping helping of soulful country twang.  With Duff on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, her band consists of Scott Aldrich on electric guitar, Skip Ward on bass, Charlie Giordano on piano/organ, Kenny Soule on drums/percussion, Eric Amble on electric guitar, and background vocalists Mary Lee Kortes, Syd Straw, and Tricia Scotti.

In title track “Born on the Ground”, Duff sings ‘When you’re born on the ground, you’re dead inside.’.  Her powerful and poignant lyrics go head to head with masterful writers such as Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams, as she sings them with a voice made for western music.  I instantly fall for “Easy Go”.  From the beginning of this up-tempo song, I’m pulled right in, lured by its strong pulse and infectious riffs.  There’s a deliciously dark Tom Waits energy in the playfully sublime “No Escape”.  It’s bluesy and cool as hell.  Duff is not one to be reckoned with as she belts out “Knuckle Sandwich”.  She tackles the song with a fearless, punk attitude, and tops it with driving guitar, crashing drums, and barrelhouse piano.  I can’t get enough of this one.  It’s definitely my favorite.      

Born on the Ground is a superb album of all original songs which have certainly grabbed my attention.  This is a record I highly recommend. 

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For more information about the artist, visit this website – emilyduff.bandcamp.com  

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.