Jinder Presents…Kingsize Blackfoot
Din of Ecstasy
10 tracks
Jinder is from the Westcountry of the UK, is 36 years old and this is his 10th album. The title hearkens to his Blackfoot Sioux heritage and the fact that he is 6’7” tall. He uses that as sort of an alter ego to present American roots music with a Delta flair. He employs the resonator well, has a shouter style of vocals and displays an enormous amount of energy in his music.
The short original intro “Great Plains” has a native America flair to it and serves well to open things up. Jinder breaks into the Delta blues with “Up On The Edge,” which starkly contrasts with the hand claps and chanting of the first cut. It’s a Chris Whitley song. “In The Pines” is a traditional song done in a chopped and breathy vocal with big acoustic guitar accompaniment. “White Freightliner Blues” is a Townes Van Zandt cut. He uses a 1967 Gibson J45 on the acoustic guitar cuts and it has a great tone as he finger picks aptly. Yip Harburg’s “Brother Can You Spare A Dime” follows. Stark and rootsy, it’s a nicely done tune.
“Woke Up This Morning” is another original, an AAB traditional blues with some tasteful and restrained slide. The traditional “Cocaine Lil and Morphine Sue” is Jinder arranged. He demonstrates his finger picking abilities and has some fun with the vocals. Next is Rodney Crowell’s “Bluebird Wine,”a strident rootsy cut. He follows that up with “Automobile Blues” which is straight up Lightnin’ Hopkins. He gives it a good whirl. The original “Come Home to the Blues” is the final cut on the CD. He sings with a little anguish here and plays to amplify the feeling as he picks the strings with what I’d call starkness and hollowness. It works well and was recorded live..
The Gibson and Regal RC51 Tricone resonator give the album a really authentic sound. Jinder’s vocals are solid and his guitar work is nicely done. If you are looking for some different acoustic music to sample steeped in the blues and American roots, then this might be worth a spin!
