Reviews
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"Oblivion Road" |
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Review by Ashwyn Smyth for "PhoenixFM.com" |
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Things have been a bit quiet recently on the bad Town Blues front and now we know why! They have been working hard on this their second CD, and boy was it worth the wait! 15 all original tracks totalling in excess of 75 minutes music and such a variety of material including some surprises about which more later. The CD opens with a very funky Clive Mulcahy composition “Rock Solid” which does what it says on the tin and is an ideal opener. This is followed by the title track, another of Clive’s compositions, a lovely mid-paced track which sees him in a pensive mood reflecting upon life and the universe generally. Instrumentally, Ray Bartrip on keyboards, Adam Norton on harp and Clive Mulcahy on guitar each have a chance to let themselves go to superb effect underpinned by a lovely flowing bass line from Jamie Lawrence and interesting drum work from Reg Patten, a pattern (no pun intended) which is retained in track 3, a really very catchy instrumental called “Sue’s Blues” composed by Ray and dedicated to his lovely lady. With a lovely gospel feeling to the keyboard riff, this track is one of a number that features Ray on his beloved Hammond, a really nice feature. A complete change of style next with Clive’s composition “Ramona Had A Baby” which features some lovely swampy slide guitar and bar-room piano and which leads on to a classic pair of Bartrip compositions, “Your Cheatin’ Ways” which features some of Adam’s lovely overblown harp and, for me, a tiniest hint of “Stray Cat Strut” with Reg using brushes and Ray on his Hammond again to lovely effect. “The Butcher’s Daughter” appeared first on the “Essex Delta Blues&ldots;..A Sampler” CD released last year and has proved a very popular number live but for the CD the band have reworked it slightly with Clive playing acoustic slide guitar and Adam playing a wonderful “rasping” harp. Not even half way through, track 7 “Bad Town Blues” opens slowly and dramatically before breaking into an excellent mid-tempo number featuring some great guitar from Clive, some positively psychedelic Hammond (listen closely on headphones to the break at around three minutes in and take a trip!) and more smashing harp from Adam. Track 8 is typical Bartrip boogie which should be covered by Chas & Dave although they would not make as good job of it as do Bad Town Blues. “All Dressed Up” sees Chigwell Fats pounding the ivories fit to bust and the rest of the band doing their bit to drive this great number along. A complete change of tempo and style for the Clive composed “Quit Jivin’ Me”, a considerably slower tempo and very funky with a very slightly ‘Smokestack Lightning’ feel to the guitar and harp riff. Adam’s harp really shines in Ray’s “Next Thing You Know”, again a slower tempo number with lovely thought provoking lyrics and Ray is also involved on the next track “It Ain’t Easy To Please Me” an excellent romping r’n’b shuffle with lyrics by Adam. “The Code”, another Clive composition has a really jazzy/soul feel to it with Jamie very busy on bass including a lovely bass solo, Clive treating us to some almost Hendrixian guitar, all in all something rather different from the guys including some almost ethereal harp from Adam. “Something’s Wrong” from Ray is a slow and smoking number which is over 8 minutes of heaven opening with some delicious harp and then running the gamut with the band taking turns to take the spotlight. This number can only be superb played live as must be the up tempo instrumental “Supernatural Ball” again featuring some phased Hammond to confuse your brain if you listen on headphones. The CD closes with a big surprise which may be a shock for some, yes Bad Town Blues play reggae! Clive has composed a lovely number “Skinny Brown Girl” which has a totally tropical Caribbean feel to it and which Clive’s voice suits very well. This is great way to round off this varied, interesting, exciting and immensely satisfying album. Bad Town Blues are to be congratulated on producing a collection which is a very definite quantum leap from their previous, very good and very well received CD. Make sure you get your copy when it is released soon, you will not be disappointed. 17th October 2005 |
"Essex Delta Blues" -
........in the meantime what I haven't seen on this list is any review of the Essex Delta Blues CD, which I believe Ashwyn Smyth had some part in organizing/promoting. I bought this at the Heathcote last Wednesday and have listened to it several times.
The recording quality is excellent. Hats off to Ray and his Moon Studio.
I cannot judge whether it is a fair or representative sampling of Essex Blues, but it is certainly *diverse*, and gives the lie to the canard that Blues is sad and/or boring. (I counted only one incidence of lyrics beginning with juxtapositions of the words "up", "work", "morning" and "this".)
As many of the musicians concerned read this list I shall not single out tracks I liked more than any of the others, though they were all listenable and great fun. Overall, the music has an appealing and rather cheeky swagger about it which -- appropriately -- recalls the Feelgoods. I used the sleeve notes to check one or two websites to see if they were current, and they are.
Henry Gee from SXBLUES 27.11.04
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Barry's CD Choice Of The Month (from "The Running Horse", Nottingham)
Essex Delta Blues - Bad Moon Records (2004)Say Essex and you probably think Feelgoods, Hamsters and Cadillac Kings. This lively 17 track compilation showcases the cream of the current crop, with many falling into categories represented by the aforementioned bands. It was co-produced by Phoenix FM's Ashwyn Smith and Ray Bartrip, who has recorded much of the music and plays keyboards with Bad Town Blues on the cracking Louisiana style rumba that ends the CD. Over half the tracks feature original material and several - such as Crying Out Loud, The Harvey Williams Band, Gator Blues, The Richard Dobney Band and The Swampcats - share a brooding, swampy menace which I take to be the Thames Delta sound. The two best cuts hit the same groove - The Nightflies' insanely catchy "Delta Moon" and The Rocking Armadillos' delightfully dirty version of Bobby Mack's "Honeytrap". Variety is provided by the cultured swing of The Heaters, Roy Mette's solo wizardry and power rock from Texas Thunder. A few tracks are hampered by poor or indifferent vocals but the playing is uniformly good throughout (8/10)Dave Kingsbury
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Many thanks for sending a copy of this excellent CD to us at GTFM 106.9.
It really is a fine mix of Blues music and we will certainly be playing selected tracks on our show.
I have actually encountered Ray Bartrip and Bad Town Blues previously as they sent me a copy of their hugely enjoyable Down In The Alley CD some time ago when I requested demo CDs from 'unknowns' through Blues In Britain Magazine.
Anyway, I've played the Sampler a couple of times and will be deciding this weekend which to feature first (probably in the next show 10 to midnight On Monday January 17). When I've played it through again, I'll drop you an Email confirming which will be played then - my current thinking is that we'll feature an Essex track every week until they're exhausted. I hope that the CD is serving the required purpose and congratulate you on your personal input to maintaining and developing interest in the Blues; exactly my declared aim.
I wish you a successful 2005.
Cheers
Bob Williams
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"Down In The Alley"
Review by Jim Riley for "Blues in Britain" magazine
Essex Based 5 piece band "Bad Town Blues" have put down fourteen original numbers on their first album. These are generally well crafted songs of the classic 12 bar construction (not a derogatory term), but lyrically there is a distictly British slant to the stories told. Refreshingly little effort is made at cod American accents, so we hear the voice of the Essex Delta - think Ian Drury with a blues band (what a nice idea).
I particularly enjoyed "New Age Blues" which seemed to me to have a feel of blues touching Trad. Jazz, as the man said- "Nice"; "Slow Lane" shows off Ray Bartrip's excellent piano playing; "Grape and Grain" - definitely written by a guitarist - in this case Clive Mulcahy, has shades of ZZ , people will want to cover this I think. Overall the playing is of a high standard, and "Right This Time" has very tight, punchy Brass. Classy.
There is a lot of good boogie, some thoughtful moments, and wry observations on our middle years. All in all a real effort has been made to produce a set of songs played with care and thought, In this they have succeeded. 8/10
Jim Riley 2002
"Blues in Britain"
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Review by Ashwyn Smyth of Phoenix FM :
"In my humble opinion, one of the best, if not the best CD of 2002, this debut offering from Essex's very own Bad Town Blues is a cracker. With band leader and founder Adam Norton playing a very mean harp, Brentwood's very own guitar meister, the incomparable Clive Mulcahy on guitar and vocals and Chigwell Fats himself, the keyboard maestro, Ray Bartrip in the front line and a rhythm section of Reg Patten on drums and John Cullerton on bass this is a band whose live performance are receiving rave reviews wherever they play. Unusually for a debut CD, all fourteen tracks are self penned and Adam &/or Clive or Ray and what an excellent variety there is, including a number of very nice instrumentals.
Clive has a very distinctive voice and this is perhaps at its best on 'Right This Time' which also features some really tight horns arranged by Mike Thorne at whos studios the CD was recorder and who also mixed the whole thing as well as playing drums on some tracks. Clive also excels on the very entertaining 'New Age Blues' which features him playing some great slide guitar as well as delivering lyrics with which everyone of a certain age can identify.
'Life in the Slow Lane' gives Ray Bartrip the opportunity to demonstrate what a very good pianist he is as well as the fact that he has a very fine voice. The lyrics again strike a chord with anyone who is in what is euphemistically referred to as middle age! It is another nice feature of this CD that the vocals are more or less equally shared between Clive & Ray, to great effect.
If you like instrumentals, then there are loads to choose from including the title track, an uptempo romp written bu Adam and the excellent 'Late Night Creeper', another of Adam's compositions which demonstrates his self-confessed addiction to Big Walter Horton. There are also some fine boogies which cannot but have your feet tapping such as 'Summerland Boogie' and the excellent 'Chigwell Fats Boogie'.
'Grape and the Grain' is another fine number which has shades of ZZ Top with Clive on both vocal and guitar duties and demonstrating his rock roots as well as delivering more well observed lyrics.
It is perhaps somewhat ironic that, as Adam told me when he and Clive played live on Digital Blues on Phoenixfm in October 2002 and we gave exclusive first radio plays of some tracks from this CD, Adam started off learning guitar and was taught by Clive but he then heard a Howling Wolf track at a friend's house and, in a road to Damascus moment, resolved to become a harp player. He bought a harp songbook and subsequently had lessons from Errol Linton and Paul Lamb and he has learned well! Adam's playing throughout is top flight without being showy or over emphasised.
Clive has played with many people over the years including the Tom Robinson Band and himself made an excellent CD back in the mid-90's produced by Ray Marquis. He is as at home with rock, boogiw woogie, slow blues or acoustic magic, a very talented guitarist as well as a gifted writer and singer.
Ray Bartrip, or Chigwell Fats, has played with so many different people over the years but his main claim to fame is being part of the Worrying Kynde, a top club band back in the sixties. He is an extremely accomplished keyboard player, vocalist and writer who, like Clive, is equally at home playing out and out boogie, slow, moody blues or anything in between.
Anayone who has seen this band will know that when any individual has a solo there is no clash of egos, each player makes room for the soloist and patiently awaits his turn. Very refreshing. If you have not seen them, then you should not miss any opportunity you have to do so soon, If there is any justice, this band will rise to the upper echelons of the Blues and their CD cannot fail to please whatever your taste. I cannot remember a more wide-ranging and varied debut CD and I keep playing it over and over. So will you."
Ashwyn Smyth
Digital Blues
© Ashwyn Smyth - January 2003
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Review by Bill Smith for "Blues in Britain" magazine
This five piece band all hail from Essex with the exception of Reg Patten, on drums, who comes from the Croydon area. This is their first album and all the songs are written by the band members. The songs are well written and the sound the band creates is first class and is more like American blues than the Canvey Island variety. With two main vocalists in Clive Mulcahy and Ray Bartrip (Chigwell Fats) there is a variety of delivery. The line up is as follows: Adam Norton on harp, Clive Mulcahy on guitar and vocal, Ray Bartrip on piano, organ and vocal, Phil Wilson on acoustic fretless bass and Jeff Cater on double bass and Fender bass, Mike Thorne on drums (tracks 1,5,6,7,9 and 13), Reg Patten on drums (tracks 2,3,4,8,10,11, 12 and 14). This band is refreshingly different and rightly pays homage to the great era of Chicago blues of the 1950's. Adam Norton claims Shakey Walter Horton as his major influence and it shows in his fine melodic and rhythmic harmonica playing.
On the opening track "Bad Town Shuffle", the writer is Adam Norton lets rip with fine mellow toned harp and is ably supported by Ray Bartrip on piano and Clive Mulcahy on guitar. The overall ensemble sound is fruity and well-balanced. Ray Bartrip features on vocal on the self-written "Baby What You Doin' to Me" with Clive playing a fine guitar solo. And so the album continues with excellent solos from all the lead instrumentalists and strong vocals from both singers. Both Rhythm sections provide excellent support and the overall sound is pleasing to the ear. The highlights of the 14 tracks, which are all excellent, are the up-tempo "Driving This Road", the fine bottleneck guitar and harp on "New Age Blues", the fine intrumental harmonica number "Late Night Creeper", the piano led "Summerland Boogie", the entertaining "Grape and Grain", the title track "Down in the Alley", a fine harmonica instrumental, the thoughtful "Peace of Mind" and the rollicking "Chigwell Fats Boogie".
For a first album this is a tremendous achievement and on this showing they can only get better!
Bill Smith 2002
"Blues in Britain"
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Review by Roy Bainton for "Blues Matters" magazine:
Where do they all keep coming from? Blues bands in Britain keep cropping up all over the place, and you would think by now quantity wouldn't mean quality.
Here's an outfit based in Colchester that has been around since the start of this century, a thrusting five piece with all the drive and confidence you'd expect from such experienced musicians who, in turn, have played with such luminaries as Gerry McAvoy and a variety of other line-ups.
Both Ray Bartrip (keys) and Clive Mulcahy (guitar) take lead vocals from time to time, and in addition to the latters strident fluid guitar there's an extra dimension of authenticity provided by Adam Norton's gritty, growly harp.
Completing the line-up is Reg Patten on Drums and John Culleton on Bass.
It is refreshing to learn that all 14 tracks on this album are Bad Town Blues originals, and damned fine they are. These guys have got a grip on their blues.
The opener "Bad Town Shuffle" draws you in and holds your interest. By the time you're into "Right This Time", with its great horn section arranged by Mike Thorne, you realise that yet again here's a British blues outfit of some quality and distinction.
Whatever gigs they already have lined up certainly ought to be added to once promoters cock an ear at this.
So, lads, you have a great album and it is an impressive debut. Don't change a note, it's cracking stuff.
Roy Bainton
Blues Matters
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"Happy Days"
Review of "Happy Days" by Bill Smith for "Blues In Britain" magazine :
This is a solo album by Ray Bartrip, the keyboard player with Bad Town Blues. It features Ray on piano and vocals singing and playing on an album featuring all original numbers that are self-written. Ray has been on the British R & B scene since the early 1960's when he was in the band The Worrying Kynde, that had at that time a residency at the 100 Club in Oxford Street. The songs on this album are well crafted, with a fair amount of sardonic humour spread amongst them. The piano playing and arrangements are first class and showcase Ray's talents as writer, pianist and singer.
Among the eighteen tracks are a great variety of piano blues and boogie-woogie - from the regular boogie shuffle of 'All Dressed Up', the medium shuffle of 'You Get What You Get' to the boogie with a Rock & Roll tinge of 'Never, Never Woman'. Ray's voice is heard to good effect on sixteen of the tracks, and for me the stand out vocal tracks are 'Life in the Slow Lane', a slow boogie with a humorous and laconic view of life put across in Ray's inimitable manner, and 'Baby What You Doin' to Me', where Ray's gravelly voice adds something extra to the track. There are also two first class instrumentals - 'Just Sittin' Blues' is a slow boogie which is a fine track reminiscent of the work of the great Jimmy Yancey - and all the better for that. The other instrumental is 'Call Me Home', a slow, sonorous and highly elegiac number. This is a fine and highly original piece of music and for me is one of the highs of the whole album.
This is a very fine piece of work, and is good from start to finish. Ray is certainly as good an exponent of boogie piano as any other pianist on the circuit and his writing is superior to many. Anyone listening to this album will be surprised and entranced by its quality.
Bill Smith 2003
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Review by Ashwyn Smyth of Pheonix FM:
The third CD released this month is a solo effort from Ray Bartrip, the outstanding keyboard player and one of the vocalists with Bad Town Blues. Entitled “Happy Days”, it contains no less than 18 tracks, all written and performed by Ray accompanying himself on keyboards. There are a couple of instrumentals including the wonderful and very moody “Call Me Home” plus what might almost be described as acoustic versions of three songs from the Bad Town Blues CD, “Down In The Alley”. This then is yet another side of Ray and a very enjoyable on. We shall be featuring tracks from this CD and from the Bad Town Blues and Customtones CD’s in June to give you a full cross section of this man’s talent! The CD is obtainable at Bad Town Blues gigs or you can contact Ray via the band’s website at www.badtownblues.com.
Ashwyn Smyth 2003