David Migden And The Dirty Words
Album: Killing It
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.davidmigdenandthedirtywords.com

Of all the roots genres, blues comes across as being the most competition orientated, well maybe after traditional Irish music, and to me it's a bit of a double edged sword. It's a great way of building on increasing appeal and getting in front of bigger audiences, particularly if, like the New Brunswick Battle Of The Blues, the prize is an appearance at a major festival.

The danger is that it tends to lead to focus on short sets and cramming all your fireworks into the space of a handful of songs if that. It's something that can lead you down the one trick pony cul-de-sac very quickly.

Fortunately David Migden And The Dirty Words, have pulled off the former, winning The New Brunswick Battle Of The Bands, without falling into the trap of the latter, well if their new album, "Killing It" is anything to go by at least.

Following up on their debut album, "Secondhand Tattoo", an album that really did its job in getting the Magnum ice-cream loving quintet onto the various blues radio shows and establishing themselves a fan base, "Killing It" should definitely be an album that should allow them to kick on.

It's actually quite a subtle album, the full set, rather than a series of three similar sets rammed together. "D.A.W.T.P.W.M" brings in a real vocal dynamic that at times has elements of both scat and dewop over the length of the track as well as bass and falsetto. It really does make a change to hear a blues band riff the vocals across a number of band members.

As implied earlier though, David Migden And The Dirty Words are about a lot more than riffs and solos, "Killing It" feels like a show, one where the band are going to leave the stage soaked in sweat, shirts sticking to exhausted bodies. Songs like "Rev Jack Crow" allow them to bring the speed and levels down ready to head off in a different direction down the blues tracks that lead off the main highway

Neil King