Selwyn Birchwood: Pick Your Poison - 2017

Selwyn Birchwood is a contemporary, Hendrix look-alike blues rocker, serving up what I believe is called "party blues". To me it all sounds like retro blues rock, so I like it, but I guess there must also be a market for it among the young, which surprised me - amongst all that hip/hop and dance stuff. 

Anyway, Birchwood reminds me a bit of Gary Clark. Jnr in his robust, guitar-based sound and often socially-aware lyrics. This is his second official album (there were a couple of self-releases), a follow up to the similar-sounding Don't Call No Ambulance from 2014. Despite that album's quality, this one is even better, so this gets the review. The first album is more straight-up blues rock, whereas this one has more variety to it.

The opener, Trial By Fire, sounds as if Gil Scott-Heron has strapped on a slide guitar to deliver what is a solid blues 'n' flute chunky number. It is followed up  by the totally irresistible, toe-tapping, groovy romp of Even The Saved Need Saving. Guilty Pleasures is a grainy, Delta-influenced blues, backed by more of Birchwood's superb guitar and some sledgehammer drums. Check out the mid-song solo and the rumbling bass that accompanies it.

Pick Your Poison finds brass introduced into proceedings, together with a funky little backbeat and a Tom Waits-ish vocal. Heavy Heart is as chunkily heavy as its title suggests while Haunted gets the funky feeling once more with a poppy hook line in "I'm haunted by my desires". Are Ya Ready? has a seventies soul-funk vibe to it. There's definitely some good, varied material on here, albeit within the constraints of the same basic framework. 

Reaping Time and the upbeat R We Krazy? are authentically bluesy, particularly the former and the bleak hard-hitting Police State provides some cutting comment, as you might imagine. Selwyn rocks out and has a few relationship moans and groans on My Whiskey Loves My Ex. 

A complete change of ambience comes now with the late-night, jazzy, saxophone-enhanced strains of Lost In You. Once more I am reminded of Gil Scott-Heron. The closer, Corporate Drone, brings to mind Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, in their later era, both vocally and musically. Highly recommended.

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