ERICK HOVEY "BLUES FARM"
Based in the wonderfully named Fort Dodge in Iowa, Erick Hovey learnt the basic blues scale when he was only eight years old. Erick has improved on this in such a stupendous way that this album makes you wonder why you haven’t come across his name before? Out of these dozen tunes, the delightful Patchouli certainly grabbed my attention. It is songs like this which make you yearn for an extended version as this groove never becomes tiresome. Fight That Monkey opens with guitar but this is soon joined by vocals which blew me away. Pronounced by Real Blues Magazine as being among their top hundred new releases for 2009, I would urge others to follow their and my own advice to try their utmost to track down a copy of this very distinguished The opener on the Blues Farm CD, “Ball and Chain,” has a slow, moody, funky backdrop with some terrific understated guitar work. “Know Who You Are” is more upbeat, almost blues/rock with Hovey’s ragged but right guitar, and features some tasty harmonica from Andy Blumenthal and keyboards from Tom Gary. “Soda Pop Girl” is a gentle swinger about a girl who drives our protagonist around town while he drinks, and “Patchouli” is highlighted by Hovey’s stinging guitar fills. Other highlights include the atmospheric “Runnin’ With A Full Moon,” the jazzy workout, “Fight That Monkey,” “Missing Part,” and the guitar-driven shuffle, “I’m Through.” Hovey’s a fine guitarist and his vocals are solid and suit the material well, and he gets excellent support from Blumenthal (harmonica), Gary (keys), Jeff Foreman (drums), Dan Lodden (bass), and Heather Kelly (vocals). This is a pretty solid set of Midwest blues that will please most blues fans. Graham Clarke / Blues Bytes / MS, USA ERICK HOVEY
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