June 11, 2009

Album Review: John Paul Keith & The One Four Fives - 'Spills And Thrills'

Old-school bluesy rock, but too slick by half

5 / 10 The blues aren’t supposed to be slick. It’s difficult to sing convincingly about losing one’s (insert noun here) over glossy production. Signed to Fat Possum, this shouldn’t be a problem for the Memphis sextet. But it is. ‘Spills And Thrills’ neither rocks nor rolls. The rhythms chug fatalistically along like an ageing waitress chain-smoking in a roadside diner, while John Paul Keith himself hollers with all the charm of a snake oil salesman. ‘Cookie Bones’ ought to have been an old-school, ‘Green Onions’-style talent showcase, but instead sounds like an extended radio sting. On ‘She’ll Dance To Anything’, he wheedles, “She’ll never notice if it doesn’t swing/She’ll dance to anything”. Fact is mate, a) she will, and b) she won’t.

Ailbhe Malone

More on this artist:
John Paul Keith And The One Four Fives NME Artist Page
John Paul Keith And The One Four Fives MySpace

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