Little G Weevil – If I May
Self-release
10 songs – 40 minutes
Two-time Blues Blast Music Award nominee, Little G Weevil continues to produce highly enjoyable traditional blues music. His latest release, If I May, contains ten original compositions, which run the gamut of blues, swing, ragtime and jazz.
The opening one-chord stomp “Yoga Girl (Hold Me Close)” sets out the album’s stall nicely: a tight groove, a sharp band, a well-written song in a classic blues style but with a modern lyrical perspective just one notch off normal. Likewise, the New Orleans style romp of “Spy Balloon Blues” offers a wry view of the satellites that dominate the modern world and features some superb piano from Mr. Jambalaya.
Indeed, the entire band is top class. Weevil handles guitars and lead vocals, ably supported by Jambalaya on piano and backing vocals, K.C. Brown on harmonica and backing vocals, Csaba Pengo on upright bass and backing vocals and Tom Kiss on drums. Gabor Vastag also provides backing vocals on two tracks.
The jazzy “One Last Time” sees Weevil lay down a fine guitar solo while the traditional Chicago blues of “Scam Me, Scam Me Not” is another example of Weevil’s ability to write songs that have a traditional feel but very contemporary lyrics.
If I May was recorded, mixed and mastered by Gabor Vastag at Sounday Studio in Budapest, Hungary and he caught an excellent sound. On a track like the upbeat “Doctor Hay”, Weevil’s guitar fair leaps out of the speakers. On the throbbing “Tribal Affairs”, Kiss’s drum patterns perfectly match one of the more intriguing lyrics on the album, particularly sitting next to the mid-paced rhumba of “Gold Mine”, explicitly bemoaning the plight of African workers working for little reward for the precious gems that we wear as jewellery. Half-way through this track, Mr Jambalaya suddenly leads the band in a wholly unexpected direction.
Both “Tingalingaling (Everybody’s Qualified)” (which also contains a belting solo from K.C. Brown) and the slow blues of “We Don’t Learn Much” amusingly skewer modern educational standards and expectations, while the album closer, “I Know Many Ways To Prove My Love” nods to Willie Dixon’s “29 Ways” as Weevil lists various ways he can prove his love. It’s a great way to finish a very enjoyable album.
Little G Weevil is a serious talent. And If I May, which by the way is beautifully packaged in a gatefold sleeve with an essay by Larry Eaglin and all the lyrics, is another worthy addition to his oeuvre.
