Shane Dwight – No One Loves Me Better | Album Review

Shane Dwight – No One Loves Me Better

www.shanedwight.com

Red Parlor Records

10 songs time-35:59

The music of Shane Dwight owes more to the Southern Rock sound than to blues-rock. His gruff and soulful voice is fine. His guitar musings fit right in with the cluttered cacophony of instruments and voices. He has enlisted a virtual “A Team” of musicians to help him on this project. Among them harmonica player Mickey Raphael from Willie Nelson’s band, Bekka Bramlett sounding much like her mom Bonnie and drummer Kenneth Blevins from John Hiatt’s band. Shane wrote all the songs and handled producing chores.

The title track takes you back to the days of R&B-meets-soul-meets southern rock ala Bekka’s funky parents Delaney & Bonnie. This music is about energy and deep feeling. The vocals and instruments engage in a frenzied free-for-all. “She Likes To Ride” carries on the boisterousness and funky noise. Heavy distorted rhythm guitar and slide guitar supercharge “If You Ain’t The Devil”. Electric slide driven southern rock accompany “Bullets & Gasoline”, the a tale of vengeance on a cheating girlfriend and her boyfriend.

Shane talk-sings through the hip-hop influenced funky “Sucker”. Mickey Raphael’s harmonica spars with the guitars through the delightfully noisy “Stand Up”. His harp makes another appearance on the slide powered noisy rock of “White Powder”. The title explains it all. Bekka Bramlett supplies gravelly echo vocals against Shane’s lead vocal on the dirt road funky “Levy Girl”. The noise fest carries on with the pounding drums of “Shakin'”. Acoustic slide guitar, a simple drum beat, Bekka’s vacal meandering backing vocals help Shane’s wonderfully gruff vocals on the final song, “Trial Of A Poet”.

This music takes me back to the southern blue-eyed soul of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. Everything kinda blends together as vocals and instruments rise and fall in the mix. Shane doesn’t deliver much in the way of guitar solos, his stuff is more intertwined in the total sounds. Rob McNelley’s electric slide guitar functions more like the lead and more prominent instrument.

This here is some real good gritty rock and roll. Elements of blues are thrown into the fray to make the total experience musically riveting.

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