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any at random. It helps too, I guess that on guitar is Paul Size, once of The Red Devils, who had –
and still have – a formidable reputation for this kind of raw blues.

We have to wait until track eight, ‘If I’, for the tempo to slow – not that that is a chore at all, I
hasten to add. This is an excellent blues, with Nick’s vocal and something in the arrangement and
sound very close to Peter Green’s work with vintage Fleetwood Mac.

Then there is the final number of the baker’s dozen on this set, a supercharged, totally no
holds-barred version of ‘I Just Can’t Make It’. Writer’s credit is to Hound Dog Taylor, who would
be proud of this cover and that maybe tells you all you need to know.

Highly recommended? Do you need to ask?
Norman Darwen

Scott Low—Appalachian Blues—Scott Low Songs International

Scott Low comes from Clayton, Georgia. He is a fisherman and a
musician. For the most part his music may best be described as
alt-country or Americana. But for this album he has ventured deep
into blues territory. But don’t expect Piedmont style picking be-
cause Scott is off on another track.
The Piedmont Plateau takes its name from the French words pied

(foot) and montagnes (mountains). Piedmont - foot of the moun-
tains; the mountains in question being the Appalachians. In geo-
graphical terms Piedmont Province is a sub-province of the larger
Appalachian Highlands.

Most most Piedmont blues musicians came from Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia,
but were allegedly, largely city bound and influenced by ragtime, country, and popular songs. For
Scott that means that there is a genre of blues that is Appalachian in its roots. Traditional
Appalachian music is fiddle, guitar and banjo based. Scott’s Appalachian blues is based on guitars
(including slide music) and delta type harmonica playing (not the kind of sound you get from the
likes of Sonny Terry (born in Greensboro, Georgia, raised in Shelby, North Carolina).

Now I don’t know if Scott is right, but his coupling of the ‘delta’ with modern guitar work and
vocalising, make for some fascinating music. The music is much enhanced by Scott’s excellent
guitar work and an obvious skill in mixing and mastering.

For me, outstanding tracks include the opener ‘Roll On’ a reverb filled instrumental that for some
reason reminds me of John Martyn. It is strongly layered with echoes and fills, as are many of
these dubs, giving it a haunting air.

The title track comes with a vocal and some tasty Bukka White type slide work. ‘God Moves On
The Water’ brings Blind Willie Johnson to life again. ‘I Know You Rider’ a very ancient song by an
unidentified writer, is here delivered as a complex slide driven piece eschewing the twelve bar
format and with shades of Appalachian roots music embedded in it. ‘Winter Spring’ is a delightful
picked slide piece with lots of dynamic playing in it.

I for one love this album. It is as we say in the UK, a cracker! Eleven tracks of Appalachian delight.

Ian K McKenzie