IT takes a lot to excite Stegg musically, but Under The Covers by south Bucks band, Stir Crazy, really caught his ears. And for those who frequently visit Scorpion Records on the Oxford Road will back my assertion that Stegg, who has been selling records since the 1970s, has a pretty good ear for reviewing music.

By coincidence that very same day Rudi, a local music promoter and musician in The Big Rain, called to tell me about a local blues band who were really excellent called Stir Crazy. Things began to get even wierder when a copy of Stir Crazy's CD, Under The Covers, arrived in the post the very next day.

It all made sense though as soon as I heard the first track Little Girl.

In fact the whole sound of the album caused my feet and my head to tap and nod in time and there was nothing I could do about it. All the elements of the band's musicianship made this recording a real pleasure to hear. There is the tongue rolling sweet blues rasping, courtesy of Ben 'Sticky Reed' Curtis on harmonica. Then there's solid, hard rockin' guitar chords played by Tony Cooper. Good rhythmic quality control from Rupert Chandler on drums and Andy Partridge on bass. And authenticity to their classic covers is given by the bluer than blue vocals of Stevie 'Ray' French especially on Tin Pan Alley, where you could almost believe he's really living for his whiskey, wine and gin. But the source of my contentment was the technically brilliant slide guitar mastery also given by Stevie. To hear this album is definitely believing Stir Crazy are a good rockin' blues band.

Go and buy the CD from Scorpion Records.

February 14, 2002 13:38