DICK FARRELLY & MAT WALKLATE

Several years ago, renowned Irish guitarist Dick Farrelly (who has over the years played with Mary Coughlan, Van Morrison and the Stones’ Mick Taylor, among others) encountered UK harmonica player and blues singer Mat Walklate performing in an Amsterdam bar. The pair got together that evening and hit it off, resulting in the recording of this album.
Laid down live over a nine-hour period in a Manchester studio, it features ten traditional style acoustic blues numbers mixing standards with a handful of originals. It’s a terrific session as evidenced by smouldering performances on tracks like the Charlie Jordan title track, the swampy blues of ‘24 Hours’ and the chugging‘Nothing But Love’. The playing is loose and organic but faultless throughout: Walklates’ harmonica on ‘Sunday Rhumba’ is scintillating while Farrelly’s accompaniment on numbers such as ‘Black Cat Bone’ and ‘Good As I Been To You’, the latter featuring some tasty bottle-neck playing, perfectly complements Walklate’s gritty vocals.
A couple of instrumental s include ‘Bags Groove’ which recalls the Odd Couple theme while ‘C Jam Blues’ sees both performers reach intense heights. Good stuff..