Gratitude By Mad Dog Blues

 

Gratitude

By

Mad Dog Blues

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

We’re back on the Blues trail with Mad Dog Blues on this new release Gratitude, a 13 track album of some of the best new, vibrant and innovative music from that genre that you may have heard for quite some time, the collective charm of this album is that the whole project is thoroughly addictive and completely enjoyable with each and every track played.

The most original break up song starts our journey through the tones of Well Babe. A perfect start can be found here, that bluesy rhythm is enhanced by some of the most crafted harmonica playing I have heard for quite a while, kudos Mad Dog Friedman.

The single Gratitude is included, now I adore this tracks smoothness and fresh energies, while we can drift into reveries like Peace In Our World, something that most of us want right now. The empowering and raspy vocals of Freyja Wild can be found here; on a track that Mad Dog plays Indigenous flutes on, and is one of the most passionate offerings from the album.

Deeper into the weave of the release we come across an almost funky little number in Love Ladder, this combines the talents of Mark Kaczorowski and Friedman on acoustic guitar and Harmonica respectively, the resulting efforts in my view, make this song one of the most inventive and exciting compositions I have heard in this genre for some time.

The penultimate offering is one of the longest pieces off the release and called Pinned Down by the Rain, and contains a wonderful creation that combines the skill sets of Sean Bennight on guitar/vocals, a bliss filled Mandolin courtesy of Jeff Becker and the harmonic talents of Freyja Wild, in a song that reminded me so much of America’s, A Horse with No Name at times. This in my view was the most complex creation on the album, and one brought to its conclusion with a sublime collective willingness by the band. Peace Chant ends our journey with Mad Dog Blues and is a wonderfully innovative climax to a brilliant album.

Gratitude by Mad Dog Blues is without doubt the best album so far for the band and there illustrious leader Mad Dog Friedman. Here lays an album of pure character, an album of artistic class, and a release that anyone who loves contemporary Blues music must surely mark part of their collection at all costs, it is that good.