Page 39 - BiTS_05_MAY_2021

REVIEWS

Dustin Arbuckle & Matt Woods—2020—Dustin Arbuckle ASIN:
B08D3PS1SJ

The first track 'You Got To Know' is an Elmore James-style blues
featuring Matt on acoustic slide guitar and vocals and Dustin on
harmonica, it's nicely played back porch blues and the video for

the track (and the whole album) was recorded with the two
players separated and Dustin adding his harp to tracks that Matt
had already put down - not ideal but needs must! Dustin
(formerly with the duo Moreland & Arbuckle) is from Wichita,
Kansas and Matt is from central Iowa and has worked as a solo
artist and with his band The Thunderbolts. 'laks Shuffle' is a nice
old-timey instrumental and 'V8 Ford' features Matt's ragtime guitar and Dustin's old-timey harp.

'Everybody Loves My Baby' has vocals by Dustin and a Muddy Waters feel (but is still acoustic)
whereas 'It Ain't Stealin' has an earlier jug band vibe and the album closes with a version of Fred
McDowell's classic 'Keep My Lamp Trimmed and Burning'. I thought that both men played well
here but overall I felt there was something lacking, not sure if it was the songs or the detached way
of recording but I just felt that the album lacked a certain spark. I know that they have gigs
planned for summer 2021 so hopefully they can get back together and regain their mojo.

Graham Harrison

A. J. Fullerton—The Forgiver And The Runaway—Vizztone
ASIN : B08VF3GFLQ

I did see A. J. Fullerton a couple of years ago at the Red Rooster
Festival in Suffolk but sadly I don't remember a great deal about
him, the singer/songwriter/guitarist hails from Western
Colorado but this album was produced by Canadian Steve
Marriner of the band Monkey Junk in Ontario and features
Canadian musicians. The band includes Fullerton and Marriner
on guitars, Jesse O’Brien on keyboards, Anna Ruddick on bass and

Glenn Milchem on drums, with harp players Paul Reddick and
Jake Friel. 'Remind Me Who I Am Again' and 'Healing Time' are
two nice openers, soulful Americana rather than blues but
'Slippin' Away' is a rocking blues with boogie piano and good lead guitar that was issued as a
single. 'Say You'll Stay' is a swampy mid-tempo rocker with a harp solo by Friel and the title track
is a moody song with restrained slide guitar and AJ's soulful vocals.

On 'I Cried' Paul Reddick adds his harp to this atmospheric bluesy song and 'Wish You'd Tell Me' is
a melodic funky track with more harp from Reddick, while 'Cherry Red' isn't the Big Joe Tuner song
but a cover of a blues by J.D. Taylor with more rolling piano from O’Brien and harp from Jake Friel.
'Never Was' is a Chuck Berry-style melodic rocker with great guitar, piano, backing vocals and a
lovely slide guitar solo and 'Homesick' is a poignant country song with Aaron Goldstein on pedal
steel and we finish off with the Colin Linden country blues song 'Hooks in the Water' done semi-