The Blue-Footed Boobies
Rock’n’Hall/Dixie Frog Productions
https://rocknhall.bandcamp.com/album/the-blue-footed-boobies
12 tracks/43 minutes
The Blue-Footed Boobies are a Fench blues rock band with a very distinctive sound. This is their second album. Not to be mistaken for the North Carolina duo, these Blue-Footed Boobies have a hyphen in their name. Hard, driving beats, over the top harp and deep vocals from hell are the order of the day here. While not listed, it appears all the songs are originals.
Led by Ronan who is the songwriter and guitarist, his grizzly bear-like vocals are unmistakable. His vocals make Omar Dykes sound like Luciano Pavarotti. On the harmonica is Marko Baland, The rhythm section of Guillaume Dupré on drums and bass of Pascal Blanc round out the band.
The album begins with a short, greasy instrumental with a driving beat entitled “Here Come The Boobies.” Hot harmonica and guitar licks abound. “Shake Your Bootie” introduces us to the deep and gravelly vocals from Ronan. Laying out a groove that John Lee Hooker would be proud of, the Blue-Footed Boobies give it their all on this wild ride.
Baland on harp leads us into “Little Cody,” another dirty, slow and driving cut. Ronan then grabs the reigns and delivers another deep and dark vocal performance. Big guitar and nice harp flesh this out nicely. “Dance With Me” is hill country music with a groove driving at 90 miles an hour. Frenetic harp, deep dark vocals and great guitar boogie make this one interesting. The back line helps drive this into a hot, musical hell.
“Love You Little Girl” puts on the brakes and things return to a slow, blues rock ballad. Thoughtful guitar and harp, a cool beat help to sell this love song. Lots of pretty harp throughout this one. Next is “Poor McKenzie,” a bouncy number with a basso profundo meets Gentle Ben vocal performance. A little banjo along with harp make this a pleasant enough song as Ronan lyrically bemoans about his losses.
“Grey Wolf” is an acoustic piece with a sad them of loss. It’s a cowboy-like country and western delivered with dark and deep vocals. More pretty harp and guitar strumming make this a French down home tune. The funk comes out for “This Is Hip.” A very funky guitar and some slide work make this one neat. The harp again is forward and cool.
“Buggy” follows that and we get some of the deepest and darkest growls on this fun boogie cut. Then it’s time for the rocking “Want You.” Featuring a long instrumental intro, they break into another dark love song of sorts. The harp bowing is over the top and slick and a great guitar groove makes this one a good listen.
“Silence” is not too silent. A slower, heavy beat with amped up guitar, dark vocals and slick harp keep the listener’s attention. The finale rocks out; “like Never Before” gets a sweet boogie going and Ronan once again takes no prisoners. It’s a high energy and very much over the top rocking out cut. It leace the listener breathless as it fades into the sun with distorted guitar.
I’d have to say this one is not for the faint of heart. The vocals are deep, dark and brooding. The harp is delightfully over-ambitious. The guitar work is slick and cool. The grooves are big and driving. An occasional slight French accent can be heard on a word hear and there, reminding us this is not a southern blues rock band, but this French quarter really know how to put on a show! The vocals might make some folks shy away, but it was quite and interesting album!
