MARK PORKCHOP HOLDER – LET IT SLIDE (2017)

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mmmm porkchops, as Homer Simpson might say. Does Bernard agree this is tasty?

Guitarist, harmonica player and songwriter Mark ‘Porkchop’ Holder is a founding member of Tennessee punk-rock/blues band The Black Diamond Heavies (also on Alive Records). This album sees him fronting a blues power trio and it’s got that dirty, road house vibe that American blues bands do so well.

Opening track ‘let It Slide’ is a brief acoustic prelude which launches into ‘Disappearing’. The opening gentle strumming quickly takes off into an up-tempo number that features tasteful slide licks throughout. Track 3 is ‘My Black Name’ is the lead track off the album (use the link below to hear it) and its head and shoulders the best track on the album. This one really rocks and the louder it’s played the better it gets. With bass and drums laying down a rock-solid groove, Porkschop’s searing slide work really shines. ‘Headlights’ is quite similar to ‘Disappearing’ in style but is none the worse for that and seems to pass by in a flash, which is always a good sign. ‘38’ is a blues shuffle underpinned by harmonica and slide guitar in equal measure – it’s another great song. ‘Let It Slide’ makes a reprise with more acoustic slide and it changes midway to ‘No Doctor’ – this track is pure acoustic field blues with nice harmonica work. ‘Stagger Lee’ is a little darker and sits plumb in the blues rock power trio camp – it’s a real contrast to the preceding acoustic track and the pairing works well within the format of the record. Penultimate track ‘Stranger’ is western style hillbilly before the album closes with an enthusiastic cover of ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’, which probably goes down a storm at a show but is yet another cover of a song that has already been well covered. In my opinion the last two tracks are a little bit of an anti-climax after what has gone before.

Herein lies my only gripe with the album – I’m all for quality not quantity but overall playing time is around 30 minutes and it just seems to me to be a bit thin on quality songs. However where it hits the spot then it’s very good indeed and perhaps this will be a stepping stone to something bigger and better in the future.

The album is released in all formats on February 10th.

7/10

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