Leigh Sloggett – Wait For The Change
Self Released
11 tracks/47 minutes
Leigh Sloggett is an Australian bluesman who loved the blues but turned to a life in art until his thirties when in 2006 he released his first album. He’s been performing for 19 years now and has this album, his fourth release, featuring three band mates. The songs are all originals except for two, a Memphis Minnie cut and a rework of a Leroy Carr tune.
Chris Riseley is on double bass and is the longest standing member of his band, going back to Sloggett ’s duo days. Len Oldman is on drums and Patrick Evans is on violin and mandolin. All three prvide some backing vocal duties here and there. Sloggett handles the lead vocals, and the acoustic, electric, acoustic lap slide, electric lap steel and high strung guitars. Nine of the tracks were recorded live.
The album begins with the title track. It has a good groove going for it as Sloggett sings with a breathy grittiness. Sloggett reworks Leroy Carr’s “How Long” into a driving, slow and dark blues. Haunting slide work is featured here. “Helping The Vegies grow” is a bouncy, lilting mid tempo blues with acoustic guitar that is fun.
“Fragile” follows, a thumping and throbbing cut with his lap steel giving guitar the listener chills. The folky “Fast Train” is next with Leigh on acoustic guitar. “Shinjuku Bound” is the next track, a pensive cut with nice finger picking.
The instrumental “Switchback” is a slower to mid tempo piece with some cool guitar work. “Damn You Wind” is another ethereal track with violin featured to once again support the haunting tones. The beat throbs and Leigh’s vocals are metered and downtrodden. “Compassionate Deficit” follows that, a slower story telling cut with driving guitar with slick guitar.
“Moonshine” is the full –up cover; we have acoustic lap steel and other guitar making this a good adaptation of the original. Sloggett concludes with “Brand New Suit,” a cut about all the uses for his suit. Violin once again helps set the tone for this as Sloggett gives another dark and haunting performance, suggesting the suit can be used for weddings, funerals and eventually get buried in it.
The album is certainly not upbeat. Sloggett delivers eleven performance filled with darker emotions and almost ghostly feelings. He is adept at his guitar work and his songs are quite interesting. His vocal style helps deliver the darker feeling of his cuts. It’s quite the interesting album and worth a listen if you want something a little off the straight and narrow path.
