2018 – self-released
By Phillip Smith; May 11, 2019
Growing up in Bolton, Mississippi (hometown of Charlie
Patton and The Mississippi Sheiks) and mentored by Jimmy ‘Duck’
Holmes, puts Robert Connely Farr in a righteous spot to carry the
torch for Bentonia blues. Now a
resident of Vancouver, Farr enlisted the expertise of Leeroy Stagger
to produce this ten-track album featuring nine tremendous original songs,
called Dirty South Blues. Backing Farr, is the Rebeltone Boys,
comprised of Evan Ushenko on lead guitar, Tyson Maiko on bass, Kyle
Harmon on drums, and Michael Ayotte on keys.
The hypnotic rolling rhythm of “Ode to the Lonesome”
quickly garners my attention as Farr poignantly reflects upon his fortress
of solitude at the Cyprus Swamp. Title-track
“Dirty South Blues” gets real quite fast with Farr’s matter-of-fact lyrics
accented by gobs of swampy slide guitar. “Magnolia” is captivating and gut-wrenchingly
dark. Ayotte contributes a thick
layer of ominous keys adding to the intensity.
Farr
pays homage to the oldest surviving juke joint in Mississippi with the
wonderfully gritty original “Blue Front Café”.
The Blue Front Café, owned by Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes is one
of the many sites on the Mississippi Blues Trail, and is still in operation
today. Holmes even shares writing
credits with Farr, on “Just Jive Blues”, a ripping piano-heavy blues
tune with lots of twang. This is a fun
one indeed. The way Farr tackles Skip
James’ “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” is plumb terrific.
Dirty
South Blues is one rock-solid record of blues, and Robert
Connely Farr is the real deal.
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