Mick Kidd & David Blight – Borderline Blue
Self-Release – 2026
12 tracks; 48 minutes
Australian duo Mick Kidd and David Blight first played as a duo in 2011 and went on to represent Australia in the 2015 IBC. Both play in other formations, but this is now their fourth album together (2014, 2017, 2022). All the songs are original, ten by Mick alone and two in which David wrote the words, Mick the music. David plays harp and sings on two tracks, Mick plays guitar throughout, plus bass on two, and handles all the vocals apart from the two on which David sings.
Nine of the songs were recorded “in motor homes, churches, showgrounds and caravan parks” whilst on the road throughout Australia; three were cut in an Adelaide studio with Ron Kosmider on bass and Peter Kershaw on drums.
The album opens with mournful, high pitched harp on a tune entitled “Jukejoint Shuffle”, the tune not quite matching this reviewer’s idea of a juke! Mick’s solid vocal style continues on the lively “5 & A Half Knuckey Street” which rocks out well with Mick’s slide work over the rhythm section, David adding some harp accents and taking a striking solo; I have no idea where the title comes from either!
“So Where Are You Now?” features David on vocals on a song that references Moses, mountain top and faith as the character waits for someone to come to an agreed rendezvous; Mick plays some good acoustic slide and David adds harp to the middle section. After one late night too many Mick is in “The Doghouse” and may wake up with fleas! “Payin’ My Eucla Dues” is definitely a blues, the title referencing a town in Western Australia before “End Of The World” again adds the rhythm section on a slow tune with strange sound effects adding to the rather depressing feel of the song.
“So Many Women” is quite an attractive blues before David takes his second vocal on “Clowns”. The third track with the rhythm section is “Tales Of A City” which contains images of life in a big city but I was unable to determine what “Nod 2 Don” was all about. Mick’s impressive finger picking is a feature of “The Apartment” – “Not much goes on in this apartment except the radio” was a line that stood out for this reviewer.
The final track “Miss Behavin’” is a live cut and the longest on the album, but the sound quality is poor, especially the vocals, and there is a fair degree of audience ‘chatter’ also marring the song which could easily have been left off the album.
Two stalwarts of the Australian blues scene doing what they clearly enjoy. Fans of acoustic blues may find material here they will enjoy here.
