Reviewed! Rabbit Foot - Swamp Boogie
Rabbit Foot
Swamp
Boogie
Review by Leo Cloeson
There’s a lot to be said for tradition
in music, and there’s a reason that some genres are able to stick around for
decades while others need constant reinvention. Usually it’s the more rootsy
genres that stick around for longest while pop and rock trends change to move
with the times. In the case of Rabbit Foot though, they take a rootsy genre, the
blues, and do it slightly differently.
There’s enough familiarity here on Swamp Boogie that blues fans won’t be
disappointed by what they hear – all the requisite chords, sevenths, ninths are
here, as are some nice guitar solos – but this feels like it’s been distilled
somehow, boiled down to its component parts. It makes for an intriguing
release, but not always a compelling one. With such sparse instrumentation,
there’s only so much Rabbit Foot are able to do in terms of versatility, so
what it has in uniqueness from others in the genre, this release lacks in
variation.
There are still some strong tracks on Swamp Boogie that stand out from the
crowd though. The walking bass line and shuffled percussion of “Smokestack
Lightnin’” makes for a strong change of pace, while the best of the guitar work
can be found on closer “Down The Road.”
So what we have here are some solid
tracks, strong musicianship and an old dog trying new tricks. This makes Swamp Boogie a must for completists, but
be prepared for the sound to become more familiar as you listen through.
Grade: B-
Comments