Crow Black Chicken - Rumble Shake Album Review

When you think of blues music from the Deep South, you think of Mississippi, Memphis or Texas.

You don’t think of County Cork and definitely not Clonmel. Until now of course. Crow Black

Chicken have changed all that it with their second and latest album, Rumble Shake. The album

transports you to a rock bar deep in the Delta that you can imagine has played host to many

sweaty, whisky fuelled nights of dancing, debauchery and the dirtiest live blues music that you

could ever imagine. The only thing dirtier than this fictional rock bar are the sounds coming from

Stephen McGrath’s bass guitar.

"Hang 'em High" kicks off the album in a way that immediately grabs your attention and then

continues its grip as the disc spins and you are hit by song after song of simplistic, raw rock music

as it should be played.

“Jessie Mae” is a track written by legendary Texas songwriter, Ray Wylie Hubbard and he graces

this album with guest vocals on the song which simply adds to the brilliant American blues sounds

that Crow Black Chicken are aiming for here.

The albums last track “Sit With Satan” is simply sublime. There is literally nothing to fault in this

song. The awesome sounds from the lead guitar are matched by the fantastic drumming of Gev

Barrett. “Sit With Satan" at times sounds as if Tom Waits, Howling’ Wolf and Muddy Waters all sat

around jamming with their bottleneck slides and their steel guitars and then Crow Black Chicken

took that sound and had it spat through the microphone by lead vocalist Christy O’Hanlon. Christy

keeps shouting the question, “What’s My Name?”. With more music like this, everybody will know

the name of Crow Black Chicken.

Clocking in at exactly 40 minutes this album will leave you wanting to hear more so simply put it

back on again and then maybe another time after that but then stop because playing an album 4

times in a row is just plain silly.

Standout Tracks: Sit With Satan, Hang ‘em High & Jessie Mae.

By: Dave McMahon

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