Charlie Bedford – Good to Go
CD: 12 Songs, 33 Minutes
Styles: Contemporary Electric Rock, All Original Songs
Author Aspen Matis has written a #1 Amazon new release, a travel biography and memoir called Your Blue is not My Blue. That might also have been an alternative title for the sophomore rock album from Charlie Bedford, Good to Go. This ain’t Boomer, X-er, or even Millennial music. Welcome to Gen Z. A native of Melbourne, Charlie’s only 19 years old. Nevertheless, he’s in the running to become Australia’s next guitar god. His overall style and vocals are reminiscent of Dwight Twilley, an American one-hit wonder from the ‘80s whose song “Girls” was a Top 20 contender. As for his latest offering, there’s only one (read: uno) traditional tune on it – a harmonica-infused instrumental, “Blues for John.” The other eleven original numbers would make the Jonas Brothers proud instead of Jimmy Reed. Bedford knows how to plug into the zeitgeist of the twenty-twenties as surely as one knows how to plug a charger into a cell phone.
Bedford journeyed to Memphis in 2017, ‘18 and ‘19 to perform at the International Blues Challenge Youth Showcase, representing the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society. He returned to Memphis in 2020 and performed again in both Nashville and Muscle Shoals. Charlie has also played alongside and been mentored by some of Australia’s biggest blues artists. He has also had the honor of performing on stage in the US with band members from great acts such as B.B. King, Albert Collins, Ray Charles, Bonnie Raitt, and Wilson Pickett.
Accompanying Charlie (vocals and guitar) are Tim Anderson on drums, David Carr on bass, additional guitars and backing vocals, and Tim Wild on additional background vox. Special guests stars include Chris “Stibbo” Hanger on harmonica and Daryl Roberts on keyboards.
“Money Junkie” is a funky, spunky introduction to Bedford’s brand of rock, featuring good harmony on vocals and a guitar line that’ll get stuck in your head faster than corn on the cob gets stuck in your teeth. The title track has a free-wheeling summer vibe, making yours truly imagine a dude with sunglasses driving his red sportscar down the California coast. After that, “Windy Wednesday” tones things down a bit but doesn’t let your ears rest for a second. Who says “Monday Monday” has to have all the fun? Best of all, the reverberating “Telephone” channels Dire Straits to an absolute T, and the concluding “Blues for John” finishes things off with a wordless blues homage. It’s the real deal, and Chris “Stibbo” Hanger plays great harp.
Charlie Bedford’s latest isn’t everyone’s brand of blue, but Gen Z-ers will be Good to Go!
