Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Record Review - Old Gray Mule

Published in the Sydney Morning Herald, March 8.


Old Gray Mule
Like A Apple On A Tree
Independent

Four out of five

Boogie blues, stoner blues, trance blues, call it what you like – Texan CR Humphrey, aka Old Gray Mule, does it with aplomb and then some.  On his fourth cut under the OGM moniker, Humphrey takes the single-key style of this oldest of genres and sets it to overdrive – this is motorcycle booted feet to the floor music, driving and writhing from instrumental opener ‘Come On In’, through to closer ‘Banda De Gypsies’, which takes a dalliance into stoner rock territory towards the end, before cutting out to raucous laughter from all in the studio.

Humphrey brings in boogie blues maestros Lightnin’ Malcolm and Cedric Burnside in this instance, who add some grunt on extra guitars and percussion, as well as Australian harmonica guru Snooks La Vie – a barnburning groover of an album, hands down.

Samuel J. Fell

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