It ain’t easy to pigeonhole Hamilton bluesman Corey Lueck and the Smokewagon Blues band on their new CD “It Ain’t Easy.”
The 15 song CD runs the gamut from the jump/ jazz influenced blues of “Devil Got My Woman and extended jams on slower blues like the eight plus minute long “Downhearted Blues and “ That Voodoo,” plus there are some nice acoustic blues numbers.
But pretty much all of the tracks have generous dollops of soul and harmonica playing like Joe Cocker meets the Boogie Patrol, but a little more laid back.
Robin Banks adds some excellent vocals when she sings lead on two of the highlights, “That Voodoo,” and “ Where Did I Go Wrong.”
The more upbeat tracks are the highlights.
“Devil Got My Woman” grabs my ear from the beginning and “Fine Furred Momma” makes me smile later on.
“Henhouse Hopping” is another up tempo highlight, while “Tongue Tied” could be the theme song for the shy person in all of us.
There is plenty of excellent harp playing, and like the Boogie Patrol, there is understated keyboard and piano which make this disc cook from within.
Band: Corey Lueck and the Smokewagon Blues band
Genre: blues
