It’s either slightly perverse or an act of inspired genius when being in a top notch studio (in this case Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Los Angeles) to forsake the opportunity to take advantage of the facility to multitrack different instruments, and plump instead to record live as a one-man band. But this is exactly what Steve Hill has done with his latest release and, indeed, it’s a massively impressive achievement to have created such a sonically rich sound with just a guitar and foot operated drum pedals played simultaneously.
Regardless of how they were recorded, these are a bunch of really strong songs with lyrics that have real depth. Kicking off with the raunchy blues riffing of the title track, with its terse, rasping solo lines and powerful vocals, the mix is designed to reach the eardrums with maximum impact. ‘The Devil’s Handyman’ is written from the perspective of a drug dealer with waspy lines like, “I know where to get the pills, l’l stick it on your bill,” adorned with woozy, sinister slide playing that is terrific.
‘Show Ya’ is a pounding four beats to the bar autobiographical romp that’s a lot of fun, whilst ‘World Gone Insane’ has a haunting, ominous feel introduced with a reverberating three note riff before it picks up the pace. There is a hypnotically compelling feel to these tracks that combine energy with melodic content in a way that’s distinctively memorable.
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