Dave Widow & the Lineup.

The CD starts off with a standard Chicago Shuffle, called Bluesman. It has gritty bluesy vocal which i like, a  nice pickup in the middle and some nice horn work but lyrically, its not very impressive. It’s a straightforward content that tell us how much he likes the blues. Ok. I get that now what? He makes a bold claim but when you call yourself a bluesman, you really need to bring it on home, in more ways than one. And the lyrics just don’t seem to cut it.

The next song is Long Gone, a very 80’s Eric Clapton blues style, slightly reminiscent of the Mike McDonald Doobie Brothers era. It really does not inspire me too much; I feel the 80’s blues was some of the worst. But if you like McDonald and 80’s Clapton you will disagree with me.  Its followed by what is to me an equally tepid song similar in vibe called Leave A Piece Of Me.  Its rather 80 rock and strays from the claim that Dave is a bluesman.

Now, after you get past those, is a song called Piss You Off, which is actually quite good. Very Elmore James meets Chicago blues with a similar feel to Hurts Me Too, sans the slide guitar and here I find Dave really hits the mark of a blues singer.  This one is a slow tempo tune with the most tasteful guitar work on the album.

The next two are fairly standard blues rock fare, not too bad and definitely more suiting to Dave’s style but track 7 , well, track seven is called Nothin On You. Its biggest flaw I a drum loop from he early 90’s that should have been left in the 90’s. It’s a straightforward funk with not much to it and I recommend you skip that one. I must say that older white guys need to stay far, far away from beat loops. It seems contrived and it always seems as if they are trying too hard to appeal to younger audiences, which always is hokey. There is a sweet piano riff in the middle though.

There is one outstanding gem called Picture Of You, which is a soulful and heartfelt acoustic blues song which is by far the most well rounded song, its beautiful and the lyrics are the best  on the whole album.

Dave Widow says about the song, "[ It ] is a melancholy song about remembering a lost love, via an old photo I found, on a rainy afternoon, and it’s an Americana/dreamy-sort of tune. "
Nice real world inspiration that makes for good lyrics and It kind of reminds me of  a country version of Blind Melon. Download that song.

Skip the next, Second Hand Love, it’s trying to hard to rock.  The last one is Sweet Janine, which is another acoustic centered tune and the second best on the album.

Dave Widow is best when he is singing simple acoustic tunes. They seem heartfelt and genuine and I like them a lot. He is very good in a traditional Blues format, but he doesn’t stand out in a crowd. When he tries to be something other than those two, it shows. I would tell him to be true to himself and don’t try to appeal to anybody and his music will be far better. But I give him props on a very well produced album with a few solid cuts and superb musicianship.

I give this effort 2.5 stars with extra credit for Picture of you; that one cut alone is worth several listens.

If you want to check it o for yourself, here is the link