Search - Little Axe :: Hard Grind

Modern Electric Blues & Dub, incorporated to stunning effect

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 10/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ever wondered where `Moby' got inspiration for his incredibly successful "Play" album???...Looking at this album will throw up some answers to those questions. Legendary producer `Adrian Sherwood', handles the mixing side of things, and the exceptional blues-Guitar playing is courtesy of `Skip McDonald' has understated guitar playing is a revelation in itself...adding much in atmospherics & Mood, throughout the album there is a element of the "Techno Blues" that `Moby' would later go on to reinterpret (although amazing `Little Axe's' album doesn't feature any electronic elements), and it's a carefully considered listening experience, with the mood gradually ensnaring the listener with seductive vocals, smoky Dubbed out Delta Blues, and various echoing reverberated loops & effects to marvellous effect. Although not the eclectic Dance-oriented beast that `Moby's' classic album is, it's Blues-rock influences & Modern Rhythm & Blues are far more pronounced & successfully implemented."

Disappointing But Listenable

Curtis T. Price | 05/24/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Lost in this third Little Axe release is the edge that characterized their first, "Wolf that House Built" and the accessibility of the second Little Axe,"Slow Fuse", inexplicably unreleased in the U.S. Instead, as some reviews have noted, there's much meandering and shifting sound textures, interesting if you can pay attention to the subtlties rattling around deep in the mix but very little grit and the sense of the tragic that underlies the best blues surfaces.The conception behind Little Axe has real potential- an update of the blues preserving some of the original form but not slavishly wedded to traditional structures - but more experimentation and hardness next time would thrust the potential of this groove forward.Little Axe, IMHO, should have the menace of a roadside juke joint and not the reverential ambiance of a well-behaved country church Sunday afternoon outing."

Grinding the Soul of Rockin Blues

Grayson Hawk | Calgary Canada | 08/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a pleasure to finally find my gutts. This Little Axe has cut through the fiberous transloucent fat of the blues & rock world & has found his way back to the primal red blood of what makes our bodies move. It is obvious that this artist has all the seaoning, the dues have obviously been paid in full. This is a sound that resonates through ones marrow. Axe harbours the ability to not get lost in the dance of media hype & techno fog that clouds the vision of core rocky-blues. You can actually feel your body move, your face grimace without being conscious of it. Man it is just refreshing !

Enjoy,

Hawk





"