You can look at the cover of Eddie 9V’s new album and have a pretty good idea of what he’s going to give you. Rather like Canada’s The Sheepdogs, he strikes you as someone who couldn’t care less about trends. You can’t imagine him sitting around wondering how to go viral on TikTok. He is what he is, and he’s going to do what he does. There’s something reassuring about that before you’ve even pressed play.
For “Down Here”, though, he has changed things up a little. Writing with the wonderful Marcus King and recording with Dan Auerbach at Easy Eye Sound Studios in Nashville suggests a particular sound before you’ve heard a note. Warm, welcoming and authentic, it delivers exactly what you’d hope for on that score.
Indeed, there are moments when you find yourself checking the sleeve to make sure these aren’t songs you’ve known for years. With all due respect to everyone involved, much of this sounds like a collection of covers. That’s meant as a compliment: the songs feel that familiar.
“Whole Lot Coming For You” makes a fine entrance, all perfect 70s fuzz and a screeching solo. It starts strongly, and “Blowin’ Up” keeps things moving, Eddie possessing precisely the right voice for the soul at its heart. By the time “Everybody Knows By Now” arrives, that feeling of having heard these songs somewhere before is firmly established. The guitar sound he gets is wonderful, too.
“Satisfy The Way I Do” finds him turning into Barry White. Kind of. If Bazza sang in a falsetto, anyway. Here, though, we reach a matter of personal taste. I won’t lie to you: I’ve never been the biggest soul fan, and when the record heads further in that direction, as it does on “Horses”, it doesn’t quite do it for me.
The acoustics of “It Don’t Bother Me” are much more to my taste. It builds beautifully, and there’s a real ease about the way it unfolds. “Can I Sleep In Your Backyard”, meanwhile, is brilliant: bluesy, woozy, and apparently he won’t disturb your dog. Always good to know when you’re considering such a request.
“Rock Your Baby” sounds ready-made for a summer party, and this one actually is a cover. I’ll be honest: I never liked it then, and I don’t like it now. Eddie’s enthusiasm doesn’t change that, but it hardly derails the record either.
Especially when “Maybe That’s A Good Thing” is waiting. Initially acoustic-led, this blues beauty is one of the highlights, with another word needed for both the solo and the harmonies. For all the different directions he explores here, it’s remarkable how often the guitar supplies the moment that really grabs you.
Then comes “Down Here” itself, and it’s the best song on the album. Writing about working-class life has long been a staple of the great American songbook, and Eddie finds something of his own to add. Looking back on the years he spent with his grandparents, Mimi and Papa, on their 100-acre farm in Monticello, Georgia, he sets those memories to a rhythm that brings Creedence Clearwater Revival to mind. It’s quite fantastic. When he does this, he’s untouchable.
“Keep Turning Me Away” brings bigger, more expansive riffs before “Come And Get Me Lord” closes proceedings with a man seemingly facing his maker with a striking calmness. After everything that’s gone before, that reflective ending feels right.
There’s a sense of being at a crossroads running through “Down Here”, as Eddie opens his music up while keeping plenty of what makes him such an individual. Some of those turns suit my tastes more than others, but even allowing for that, there is so much to commend here. The voice, the guitar playing, and, at its best, the songwriting make this a very easy place to spend some time.
Rating: 7.5/10
