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CD REVIEW: DYLAN WICKENS & the GRAND NATURALS – Hi Lo-Fi

| 19 August 2016 | Reply

CD REVIEW: DYLAN WICKENS & the GRAND NATURALS – Hi Lo-Fi
Independent
6 May, 2016
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7 ½ /10

Dylan Wickens & the Grand Naturals - Hi Lo Fi

Dylan Wickens and his Grand Naturals have rhythm and soul, man, and bring both to this schmoovely groovy little gem of a record.

Most of all though, they’ve got the blues pulsating through their veins, and for all the soulful R&B touches here, Hi Lo-Fi is a blues record.

There’s not a lot of raw grit on display – The Grand Naturals’ blues are smooth and expressive rather than dirty and rough. That said, there’s still a fire smouldering at the heart of this record, and that’s what makes it an enjoyable listen.

Run Sister sends sparks flying as it tells of hiding behind a tequila bender; Calamity Jane is a louche barroom shuffle; Wickens hollers “when am I gonna get mine?” on the destitution blues of Fall Apart; and She’s Back In Town tells a story as old as time itself.

Wickens’ guitar playing has a touch of both B B King and Hendrix about it, and he taps both sources of inspiration to channel heartbreak fluently in Your Other Man. The album slows down for the heavy blues of Rock Bottom, and a feisty live take on Led Zeppelin’s In My Time Of Dying does the near-impossible: makes the song their own.

Category: CD Reviews

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