Cedar County Cobras – Sinners and Saints
Overton Music
10 Tracks – 33 minutes
The Cedar County Cobras are a traditional blues duo with leaks into Americana. Tom Spielbauer plays slide guitar in the style of Delta blues accompanied by his foot drum with April Dirks on upright bass and mandolin. Tom, who was declared blind in 2005 with advanced macular degeneration at a young age follows in the footsteps of other blind guitarists, such as Blind Willie McTell and Alan Wilson. His ailment forced him to retire from his former occupation of pouring concrete and working construction. In 2022, he won the Iowa Blues Challenge and was a semi-finalist at the 2023 International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
His partner, April Dirks, is an Iowa native who previously played in bluegrass bands and was noted for adding a gypsy-like sound to the music. She joined with Tom, who had previously played as a solo act, in 2014. She soon found she had an affinity for playing the upright bass. With Tom, the duo adjusted to playing Anerican roots and Delta style blues.
“Matches and Gasoline” offers a metaphor for how gossip can “burn the whole thing down” as Tom cites “People round here talkin’, sayin’ things they don’t know. “Motorbike“ is a boogie with Dave Moore on harmonica as Tom cites, he wants to escape this town. “I wanna go somewhere where no one knows my name. The people round here, they’re driving me insane. Tired of the same old faces, here in this town. Tired of being set up and being pushed around.” Heath Alan guests on sax and provides the vocals on “Bessie Smith’s Last Ride” commenting on the death of Bessie Smith in 1937 and comparing her death to current events. “Eighty years later and things have never changed. Faces might look different, but the idea is still the same. They saw a black man driving, right away they’re thinking. They said it was his fault and they accuse him of drinking”.
Two covers of traditional songs follow with “St. James Infirmary” and the gospel “Get Right Church”. Alan continues on sax on the first song with Tanner Taylor on the B3 and piano. Tom sings the lead vocals with April on mandolin. Monica Faye and Krista Guillaume add backing vocals on the latter song with Tanner continuing on the B3 and piano. as Tom advises “one of these mornings and it won’t be long, you’ll look for me and I’ll be gone”. He says, “If it ain’t broke, I Ain’ gonna fix it…I’ll “Mind My Own Business”. “Careful what you wish for, you might get what you want. Might find out later, it wasn’t what you thought.”
On “Guitar Zero” he challenges video game players to learn a real instrument, noting “You got to get drunk and practice and do it every day. You go to believe me there just ain’t no other way.” Pushing buttons on a toy plastic guitar “don’t take no creativity at all”. April takes the vocal lead on “Ruby Red” which was written by a Vietnam Vet who returned from fighting, but his woman could not be found and proclaims “Oh, Ruby Red, where are you tonight. I didn’t want to leave you, no I didn’t want to fight.”. “Springtime” is a reflective, quiet instrumental. A cover of Thomas Dorsey’s 1932 gospel song “Precious Lord closes the album with Monica and Faye providing the backing vocals in a final statement of redemption and faith.
The album is an enjoyable listen to an old-time style of music cast in a modern light. The duo delivers blues with shades of folk, Americana, and perhaps a pinch of country.
