|  Octavia
& The Earthblood Blues Band - Down In The Hollow
{AVAP Records}
This band hails from Pennsylvania and provided me
with enjoyable material to review by these gifted
musicians for their first release together. Octavia
toured with Etta James and Freddie King in the 70’s
and her bands have opened for Dr. John, B.B. King
and Delbert McClinton to name a few. This jazz and
blues diva continues to write and record and spread
her talents through her two bands, “The Earthblood
Blues Band” and “Infusion With Octavia.”
My two favorite tunes on this disc were “Playin’
For Keeps” and “Cold Day In Hell”,
which really highlighted the talents of this band.
I can only hope they someday consider booking a
show in St. Louis while out touring. I encourage
you to check them out yourself and feel you won’t
be left disappointed.
The
band is:
Octavia, Lead and background vocals, harp, acoustic
guitars,
electric rhythm guitars, misc. percussion instruments
Bill Wasch, Electric lead, rhythm and slide guitar
Bobby Fry, Bass guitar
Chad Salvaggio- Drums on track 4, 7 & 10
Butch Walker, Drums on track 1, 2, 3, 6, 8 &
9
Randy Bucksner – Tenor Sax on tracks 7 &
9
The tracks are:
1.
Playin’ For My Keep – moaning harp,
soulful vocals and crafty electric slide work
2. Down In The Hollow - slow grooving folky blues
tune with that signature harp
3. Cold Day In Hell - could be the longest harp
note held in the history of da’ blues
4. Insomnia – a mix of rockabilly with them
no sleep blues
5. Service Call - whaling harp and bass thumping
tribute to all mechanics
6. Indelible Days - slow simple song showcasing
Octavia’s vocals and howling harp
7. Unchain My Heart - nicely arranged cover with
pleasing vocals, harp and guitar work
8. The Village Will Provide - a new age blend of
folk, roots and blues
9. Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl - sassy tribute
to Bessie Smith with soulful vocals and cool sax
10. This Train’s A Comin’ - instrumental
blues jam with Octavia’s harp skill showcased
I
give this disc 3.8 out of 5.0 on my STLBluesometer
rating and recommend giving the songs listed on
their music page a listen and judge for yourself
if you want to add this disc to your blues collection.
www.OctaviaBlues.com
Joseph
"UJ" Miller
email :: uj@stlblues.net
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