Dave Arcari – Devil May Care
Buzz Records – 2023
11 tracks; 36 minutes
Dave Arcari is an acoustic guitarist based in Scotland and this is his seventh full length album, released after a six year gap since his 2017 release Live At Memorial Hall. Dave mainly plays solo and does so here on most tracks, but does have drummer Chris McMullan (of Northern Ireland band The Bonnevilles), violinist Jamie Wilson and harmonica player Jim Harcus (Radiotones) sitting in on one track each. The material is original, apart from two covers, and was recorded in Dave’s home studio.
Dave’s broad Scottish accent comes through from the off as his gruff vocals deliver “Devil May Care”, a song about local legends that fascinated him as a child, his slide guitar propelled by some intense drumming. “1923” recounts the story of Dave’s father who was born in Scotland of Italian parentage, left Scotland to do military service in Italy, before setting out on a series of adventures, a history that has clearly left a mark on Dave. “Time Will Come” emerged from the UK’s decision to leave the European Union (Brexit, as we now know it): Dave recognizes that it was hard to sort out fact from fiction, making sensible decisions difficult. Dave is equally frustrated by those who always seem to want a hand-out while others work hard to contribute and never ask for anything, a song he entitles “Givers And Takers”.
Dave has made his home on the banks of Loch Lomond and adapts the traditional tune of that name, rewriting the lyrics to reflect his own experience of the area and the warm welcome afforded to him by the locals. “Loch Lomond (Home)” works well, especially with the additional violin and an impromptu chorus of friends and acquaintances who give the chorus the feel of a concert in the local pub. “Stick To Your Guns” is tongue-in-cheek as Dave sings of the qualities of a local distillery. Played on a Resophonic guitar, this one also features harmonica.
Dave covers Junior Kimbrough’s “Meet Me In The City”, a tune he has been working on for a while. As Dave likes both the original and The Black Keys’ cover his solo version attempts to blend the two and was released as a digital single in October 2022. Dave switches to banjo for “Whiskey Trail” which also references a distillery, one that had contracted Dave to perform an earlier song, “Whiskey In My Blood”, at the distillery on World Music Day. All went well until they realized that Dave’s song did not encourage moderate drinking! Dave feels that he has now created a song that could advertise Scotland’s most famous export, if the distillery so desired. “(Looks Like You’re) Walking On Water” refers to paddle-boarding, a pastime often undertaken on Loch Lomond which inspired this rather amusing little song. “Nine Pound Hammer” is a traditional tune best known from Merle Travis whose version inspired Dave’s. The album concludes with “Walk The Walk”, musically inspired by Lightning Hopkins and John Lee Hooker with lyrics that reflect Dave’s dislike of people who pretend to be experts when, in fact, they have no real experience; let’s hope he does not see reviewers like that!
Fans of acoustic blues will find much to enjoy here as Dave successfully combines traditional music with contemporary lyrics.
