CD REVIEW: MIKE ELRINGTON – Two Lucky Stars

CD REVIEW: MIKE ELRINGTON – Two Lucky Stars
Only Blues Music
5 February, 2016
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8/10

Whether he’s intoning sonorously, drawing deep from the well of gravelly blues, or hitting perfectly resonant high registers, it’s Mike Elrington’s vocals that this album revolve around.

Straddling the modern blues and indie roots camps, Elrington’s songs are delicately picked, shoot straight from the heart, and are tenderly rendered: a stompbox here, some subtle strings there, a perfectly placed backing vocal where necessary.

At times bright n’ breezy, at others full of longing and regret, Elrington’s wins and losses in the game of love make for a wealth of entertaining songs, all featuring that mighty fine vocal range of his.

Some killer covers lie amongst these fourteen tracks. Sonny Boy Williamson’s Good Morning Little Schoolgirl is punched home by suitably sleazy and licentious peals of harp. Sam & Dave’s Hold On I’m Coming boasts a sparse arrangement and a scorcher of a guitar solo. A surprisingly exciting take on the Kenny Loggins yacht rocker Danger Zone hits the bullseye, and Ray Charles’s I Got A Woman is as moving as ever.

But it’s his originals which shine brightest here: Still In Love With You, Jennifer, Believe, the hopeful Find My Lover Someday and Two Lucky Stars all ring true with an honesty that borders on the confessional.

Two Lucky Stars closes with Elrington’s live take on Leadbelly’s Where Did You Sleep Last Night, a haunting performance that’s made us determined not to miss him next time he tours out our way.

Category: CD Reviews