2017 – FMI Records
By Phillip Smith; Jan. 28, 2017
Another stellar album from New York bluesman Dave Fields has hit the airwaves.
Unleashed is a perfect blend of
seven live cuts and seven studio cuts, each one bringing out the best of Fields’ outstanding guitar
performances.
Unleashed
takes off with a groovy live instrumental called “Anticipating You”. A terrific performance from Vladimir Barskey on keys, a cool funky bassline
from Erik Boyd, and percussion from Doug Hinrichs sets a Stax-like stage for Fields to jam his heart out too. Using
that Stax sound as s springboard
perfectly segues into the next tune, a cover of Memphis-great Don Nix’s,
“Going Down”. Tackled with a fiery
intensity, Fields doles out a big fat dose of superb guitar playing. For Jimi
Hendrix fans, Fields also gives
a killer performance on “Hey Joe”, and “The Star Spangled Banner/Hey Joe
(reprise)”.
In two-parter “Jagged Line Pt
1” and “Jagged Line Pt 2”, Fields
offers a glimpse inside his own life and struggles. Beautifully composed, this pair of songs walks
the tightrope between blues and rock, lyrically leaning more toward blues and
musically taking the rock and roll route. I get completely drawn in to Fields’ lyrics on “My Mama’s Got the
Blues”. This song drips with hard times
and authenticity. Also grabbing my full attention
is the lovely and carefree “New York City Nights”, a jazzy selection paying homage
to the Big Apple.
Fields
scores big on this album. Unleashed
is destined to be a sure-fire hit release.
