“inspired vocals and solid material lights up cd” Review John Emms
David Clayton’s new album A Blues For The New World is an album steeped in superior musicianship, solid material and of course great vocals. However, in today’s world of the quick fix will it take hold at radio? Does he need it to?
DCT authored some superb songs with Blood Sweat & Tears. Mega hits in fact. This cd sounds like an album he and his killer band made for the sheer musicality of it all. Believe me it shows. With the recent success of Boz Scagg’s Memphis album and unknown veteran soul singer Charles Bradley hitting the charts is David Clayton-Thomas poised for more radio airplay? With songs as good as the gospel “Holy Moses”, the adventurous and most bluesy track, “Sounds So Sweet” and the excellent tracks “Second Chance”, “Politics” and the superb arrangement to “The Sky’s The Limit”, who knows?
Fans should know this cd is not a 12 bar blues album or even a mainstream hybrid R&B cd in the vein of Bonnie Raitt. It instead draws on DCT’s extensive blues and gospel background from the sixties heyday with the Shays all the way through Blood Sweat & Tears What it is and what it does show is that David Clayton-Thomas is still making vital original music.
JOHN EMMS is a veteran music journalist, radio host and songwriter.
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