Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin – Eye of The Storm
Phoenix Records
6 Tracks – 30 minutes
Murray Kinsley and Wicked Grin are a band based in Ottawa, Canada. The band leader, Murray, provides the lead vocals and guitar and on tracks 1 & 3, he plays the cigar box guitar. Laura Greenberg plays bass and vocals. Dave Tettmar plays drums & percussion and also adds vocals and on track 6, he plays keyboards. Steve Marriner adds harmonica on four tracks. Jesse O’Brien plays keyboards on tracks 3 and 5, and Zeek Gross plays horns on track 4. In 2019, the band represented Ottawa at the IBC in Memphis where they were a semi-finalist. Their 2019 album, “Murder Creek” was also a semi-finalist for Best Self-Produced cd at tat year’s IBC. In 2014, Wicked Grin was named Best New Group at the Maple Blues Awards. Laura has twice been named Bassist of the Year at the Maple Blues Awards. Dave Tettmar has been named Best Drummer twice at the Maple Blues Awards.
Eye of the Storm is Wicked Grin’s fifth album. The album opens with a cover of Ray Wylie Hubbard’s 2006 song, “Snake Farm”. The band wisely changes the sound and jumps deeply into the swamps for the song. The song tells the tale of Ramona, who worked at the Snake Farm, which he describes as “It Just sounds nasty…Well, it pretty much is…It’s a reptile house”. Ramona is the woman he loves as he tells “Ramona’s got a keen sense of humor, she got a tattoo down her arm, it’s of a python eatin’ a little mouse wearin’ a sailor hat that says snake farm”. Murray immediately lights up the song as he comes ripping out on the slide cigar box guitar.
On the blues rock song “Dance with Me”, he asks her to “take my hand and dance with me”. Steve’s harmonica is a standout on the cut. Murray pulls out his cigar box guitar again on “Dressed in Black”, which gets a boogie going as it discusses the disparity that exists between men and women.
The horns take the lead with Murray advising that you must “Hold On” as he addresses the erosion of women’s rights. “Friday Blues” is a Chicago -styled love song as he asks her “take my hand, you know I love you”. The album concludes with “Blues for Sorrow” an acoustic showcase addressing the innocent victims of war and strife. Murray asks “How can I know your pain? We all have a road to walk. I see your hatred, see no end, I sing the echo of the years, no one wants to bend.”
Murray’s voice is somewhat reminiscent of John Fogerty with a slight growl permeating the songs. They obviously have no trouble addressing the political atmosphere that exists today. The music is solid blues rock. The band makes a strong accompiment.
