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style ‘Push Comes to Shove’ and then the semi-acoustic ‘Clarksdale Mississippi’ (with Omar on
harp) telling the story of the town’s history in the blues. ‘Gator Man’ is a swamp blues with
Greg Martin from The Kentucky Headhunters on guitar and ‘Crackin’ Up’ is the old Bo Diddley
song (where the album gets its title from) and the album’s only cover.

‘Lone Star Boogie’ is a boogie name-checking Texan bluesmen and ‘Thousand Pound Gorilla’
returns to Omar’s monkey/ape obsession, while ‘The Running Man’ has the Bo Diddley beat.
‘Hidin’ Out in Memphis’ is a fairly routine blues and ‘Lovin’ Man’ is an old recycled Omar song,
while ‘No Peace in the City’ reminded me of Bobby Bland’s ‘Ain't No Love in the Heart of the
City’. It’s great to see Omar back in action and his voice is still as fabulous as ever, it must have
been very frustrating for him not being able to play for so long and I think that this album
shows that he isn’t quite back into the groove yet but I’m sure when he tours later this year
he’ll be back at the top of his game.

Graham Harrison

Ben De La Cour—Sweet Anhedonia—Jullian Records

Ben De La Cour is a singer/songwriter based in Nashville USA
and “Sweet Anhedonia” is his fifth album.

Ben kicks off the album with ‘Appalachian Book Of The Dead”
which has a distinct dark Americana Gothic vibe about it. ‘Gen-
tle Game’ is more of a nice and gentle country tune enhanced by
Becky Warren sharing the vocals. There’s yet more deep mov-
ing lyrics to the dark tale of ‘Maricopa County’ whilst ‘Shine On
The Highway’ wouldn’t be out of place on a ‘Peaky Blinders’

soundtrack.

‘Palookaville’ is a slow Americana piano ballad whilst Ben fires up a gospel blues stomp with
‘Birdcage’. The album closes with another great gentle tale ‘I’ve Got Everything I Ever Wanted’.

Once again Ben has come up with another great album. He surrounds himself with good
musicians that help him make the music sound great by keeping things on a leash and not
overplaying. Ben has a voice that speaks to the listener with good diction and a conversational
slant. This is so integral to his songs as his strength lies in his songwriting. He crafts such great
lyrics, creates great imagery and has a narrative that opens your mind.

I think I have said this before about Ben but it’s worth repeating that he connects with the
listener in a way that you might listen to your best mate in a late night bar, he’s that convincing.

Whilst this album may not be strictly of the blues genre names such as Townes Van Zandt,
Steve Earle and Nick Cave whom he is often likened to give you an indication of where his
music sits. This is a fine album and well worth checking out.

Ged Wilson