Reviews
Artist:Cole And Ward Album: Blues And Other Truths
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 12
Website: https://www.liamwardmusic.com/cole-ward
Mark Cole is a singer-songwriter with a gritty powerful voice who has supported tops blues artists such as Dr Feelgood and Alvin Lee. He is a highly talented slide and rhythm player. On 'Blues and other Truths' he teams up with harmonica player and fellow singer-songwriter Liam Ward for a full blown album of collaboration. I enjoyed the opener 'Deep Blue Moon' and 'Ma Jollie Fille' is a strong second track with Liam answering Mark's vocal phrases perfectly, and the alternation between English and Louisiana French suits the song down to a tee, all backed with capable drumming and accordion playing that harmonises beautifully with the blues harp.
The album then gets tougher and rougher a bit like a modern-day Dylan blues on track 3 where the vocal's higher tone suits the track as it cuts through the mix with a real edge. I adore the harmonica playing on this track too, it's the real thing and reminds me of a old blues man I used to see busking San Francisco harbour in the late eighties, truly authentic and brilliant! Track 4 is gentler but I can't help feeling that the rougher edged approach is the 'way to go' and this resurfaces again in track 5 with 'Food off my Table', the guitar tone on this track is perfectly vintage and the harmonica sound is huge, sounding like a freight train heading down the track! Other highlights include 'Weird Dream' with its spooky theremin, chimes and a harmonica sounding like magma spewing out of the Earth and 'Mr Big Shot' with a very funky fat rhythm guitar and wide blues harp.
The album closes with some tight harmonising vocals, set against a brushed snare drum and a bass harmonica riff. It's simply magical when the higher harmonica comes in, it sounds like a boat moving through the Louisiana swamp and it simply sings 'Honey's Coming Home'. Hence, the album ends in a blowing storm of multi-tracked harmonicas, brilliantly done!
This is a really strong album, a great introduction to various styles of blues and a fine celebration of two very talented musicians. The real strength of the album lies in the virtuosity of both musicians and their ability to paint different canvases of sound which bring different lyrical themes together in unique ways. Arguably it could have been a truly great album, I'm just not sure about the frequent dispersal of the more stripped backed tracks, I think that the more up-tempo material is incredibly powerful and I would have loved even more of it! I would recommend seeing them both live, I think it would be quite a show!
Andy Smythe
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