Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective
Album: Dug Deep, Found Steel
Label: Ashwill
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.jwroots.co.uk/

As "Dug Deep, Found Steel" kicks off with the title track, five minutes plus of blues rock with an Americana edge, it lays down a marker that for the next forty four minutes, be prepared to give your ears a real blast, don't worry they'll thank you for it, they were waiting for something to shatter the wax anyway.

Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective are a six piece that pack plenty of punch, from vocal, through guitars into blues harp and percussion. Now it has to be said that this isn't an album that's going for the intellect, if there is a theme, it's the salvation brought about by a good woman and on that theme it delivers a solid set of songs, but this is an album that's as much about the deliver as it is the message and boy does it sound like they had fun making the thing.

That said, it's not all about the power, "Dug Deep, Found Steel" is more subtle than that. "Angel From Above", though on the surface comes across as a romantic ballad, there's a real sense of unease that permeates through, predominately brought about by some beautifully bowed double bass.

"Blow Away The Blues" is a track that you can imagine being a real live favourite, rich in riffs and hooks and using the title track very much as a sing-a-long chorus and let's be honest hard rocking blues really works when it's being interactive.

The band are, apparently, geared for a shed load of festivals, but if you haven't got the time or inclination to wait, you could do a lot worse than grab yourself a copy of "Dug Deep, Found Steel" to get some practice in.

Neil King