Page 38 - BiTS_02_FEBRUARY_2021

Long has a great blues voice and his guitar playing is surprisingly accomplished for one so

relatively young.

Graham Harrison

Liam Ward & Malcolm Thorne—You Are My Medicine—Green

Bullet Records ASIN: B083RZWLN2

‘You Are My Medicine’ is a five track EP by singer/guitarist
Malcolm Thorne and harmonica player Liam Ward released on
Liam’s own Green Bullet records. You may think that a record by
this line up would be like Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee but
this isn’t really traditional blues, the title track opener features

Malcolm on guitar and backup vocals with Liam singing and then
contributing a lovely acoustic harp solo in the middle. As the title
suggests ‘Down Home Blues’ is more bluesy with Malcolm adding
a bit of slide, while ‘Crescent City Jive’ is Liam's hymn of praise to New Orleans which starts with
his delicious blow bending harmonica. ‘Bulldoze Blues’ (not the Henry Thomas song) is a slightly

more traditional blues but the instrumental ‘Song for Dennie’ is much more folkie - like something
by Bert Jansch or even Davy Graham - very melodic, plaintive guitar with Liam’s harp very echoey.
I thought that this was an original take on the guitar / harmonica line up with lots of variety and
some very nice guitar and harmonica playing.

Graham Harrison

Clarence Spady—When My Blood Runs Cold (Tribute to
Lucky Peterson)—Nola Blue (Single)

Born in New Jersey in 1961, singer and guitarist Clarence

recorded for Evidence and Severn Records, but had dropped
off the radar after his second album in 2009, despite being
viewed as a very promising young bluesman. Both Clarence
and Lucky began their blues careers at incredibly young ages,
and this is a strong slow blues that Clarence saw Lucky

perform live in New York - he does it full justice too. The two
men were long-time friends so this certainly makes sense -
even better that it is a four minutes long, smouldering performance, with a lovely cushion
for Clarence provided by the keyboards of Scott Brown, and the subtle rhythm section of Jon

Ventre on bass and Pat Macinko on drums. An excellent track that augurs well for Clarence's
upcoming album for the label.

Norman Darwen
(www.clarencespady.com)