Today I'm covering one of my favorite modern blues rock artists, because I'm in that knid of a mood. So today we are listening to Seasick Steve. That reminds me of the other reason I'm covering him, he has a cool name. This is possibly the most impressive thing I have ever heard featuring vintage microphones and a 70 year old man. The guitar is pretty awesome, it is not always true blues. Also the guitar is made truly impressive by the fact that he ONLY USES 3 STRINGS! Otherwise the only other instrument is some drums, which he also plays. The lyrics are mostly about being a poor young man in the 60s, which gives a pretty good feel to the music. While typically his singing is gravelly. There are some very Springsteenesque vocals on some of the tracks to, he has a rather powerful voice.
The guitar is impressive on its own. Then you realize how his guitar is strung, and you kind of are blown away. It is frankly amazing to listen to what he can do with his 3 strings. There are decent riffs that just make you want to tremble and shake. The music is beautiful and awesome. His guitar is powerful and fast and is spectacular. I bet you that no one, not Eddie Van Halen, not Kerry King, not Zakk Wylde, not even the great Jimmy Page, can do what Seasick Steve does with the guitar that he plays. It is also amazign to see the complexity of the riffs that he plays under his singing, especially when you consider that this album is live in the studio. His Mississippi Drum Machine provides a nice beat for his music as well.
The lyrics are classic blues type stuff. They are sad, and discuss being very poor and living in the rural south. For example one of his songs is about being happy to have a job because he was starving. Others comment on how he has gotten older like the song Man From Another Time. All of it is really awesome blues type stuff. Oftentimes his lyrics are humorous, like when he laments that “One thing I fear before I die is that I will turn into a boring old fart”. He keeps up a running dialogue with the listener and it is highly humorous. Steve has a gravelly voice that impresses you. You could compare his voice to that of Zakk Wylde. His voice is one of the things that make this album awesome.
I really like this album, it features an impressive array of sounds. From the diddley bow to the 3 string guitar this album is really cool. There is awesome music, made more impressive seeing his guitar, his Mississippi Drum Machine provides a nice feel too. His lyrics are often funny and make the album what it is. His voice is deep and Zakk Wyldeish in places. I think that Seasick Steve, can very much be seen as in competition with Jack White as the greatest living blues musician, they are both in a similar style. This album rocks and I think that any body who even mildly likes blues would both love this album and want to listen to it again and again.
OVERALL 9/10
Man From Another Time
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