2017 –Ruf Records
By Phillip Smith;
Sep 9, 2017
It’s been fifty years since the first Savoy Brown
album, Shake Down, hit the streets in
England, and Kim Simmonds shows no signs of slowing down. The man is definitely on a roll right
now. Besides his brand new solo
instrumental album Jazzin’ on the Blues,
which is absolutely wonderful by the way, he has the all new off-the-hook Savoy
Brown album Witchy Feelin’ out
now too. It is a smoldering hot eleven
track plateful of electric guitar-blues. Returning to the studio with Simmonds
is bassist Pat DeSalvo and drummer Garnet Grimm, both of who have
been playing in Savoy Brown since 2009.
A strong impression is made when I hear the intoxicating
Texas blues of “Why Did You Hoodoo Me”.
The driving rhythm and searing guitar seals the deal. The hypnotic hook and swampy slide of “Livin’
on the Bayou” lures me in like the song of the sirens. It’s beautifully played. I then get a big smile on my face when he breaks
out more bodacious slide singing about one of my favorite places, “Memphis
Blues”. Simmonds pumps a delightful
dose of psychedelia into the amazing, “Thunder, Lightning and Rain”, making for
an exquisite listen. “Can’t Find
Paradise”, the anthem of the album is rockin’ and contagious. It’s terrific.
Witchy
Feelin’ certainly ranks up there among my favorites of the
year.
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