Diesel (Mark Lizotte) returns with a vital and exhilarating collection of blues classics and rarities, playing every instrument on his first completely solo album, Alone With Blues. On Alone With Blues, Diesel pays tribute to giants like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, Sam Cooke, Leadbelly and Magic Sam, but closer to home an Australian legend too; first single, ‘Six Steel Strings’ is a blazing co-write with Ross Wilson
There’s that wonderful ‘pop’ as opener ‘I’m Satisfied’ bursts out of the speakers. And the real sound of a band hitting its groove which is remarkable when you think that everything on here was played by Diesel. The vintage sounds continue with ‘Shame, Shame, Shame’ and that’s the next thing you discover when listening to Diesel’s new Blues Covers record ‘Alone With Blues’ – it sounds like it was recorded in another time.
You could of course argue that you can’t go wrong with standards like that to open, but it’s the next track that really blew me away. It’s unusual in that it’s a song where we see the bass to the fore on an incredibly touching version of the great Sam Cooke’s ‘Lost and Lookin” Mark and I I know are both huge fans of Sam Cooke and he’s captured the essence of the man here beautifully.
The classics are back with the immortal ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ and ‘I Can’t Quit You Baby’ and the wonderful stomp of ‘Boogie Chillen’ before the sole original composition cuts in ‘Six Steel Strings’ that Mark wrote with Ross Wilson and Wilson rediscovered when moving house recently. The beauty of it is that not only does it manage to fit with these Blues standards it also managed to shine in such esteemed company.
Another favourite here is the laid back slither and groove of ‘All Your Love’ and when it’s followed by the smoky ‘Work Song’ another tune that’s led by a subtle deep bass you know that you’ve got more than just a great Blues record on your hands.
We close with the wonderfully soulful tones of ‘Mirror Blues’ and the wonderful take on the traditional song Leadbelly made famous ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’ that has never been covered better. This is a wonderfully clean Blues album, precise and purposeful and it sets the standards in wonderful stead, it’s eschewed the gritty feel of the originals and instead taken a look under the hood, seen what makes the tick, polished them up and delivered them with fresh eyes and ears… And it works beautifully.
TRACKLISTING: I’m Satisfied | Shame, Shame, Shame | Lost And Lookin’ | Hoochie Coochie Man | I Can’t Quit You Baby | Boogie Chillen | Six Steel Strings | All Your Love | Work Song | Mirror Blues | Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
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