Album Review: Utility Blues

As I opened the package containing this CD, I saw Li’l Chuck peering out at me from the back of a ute with his instruments surrounding him and the beautiful Port Hills of Christchurch in the background.  The compact disc case was a well put together package containing a wee booklet inside the front cover, with the lyrics to his music and accompanying photography. Personally I think this is a nice touch.

The CD itself, shows that Li’l Chuck is a multifaceted and talented musician, he wrote and engineered all but one of the songs (Sixteen Tons). He is one man playing harmonica, resonator guitar, kick drum, hi hat, kazoo and vocals to produce a easy listening and fresh blues sound, all this was composed and recorded by him in a shed converted into a mini studio. The YouTube video showing how he went about this is well worth taking a look at, I found it fascinating.

The lyrics on Utility Blues are matter of fact mini stories of love, heartbreak and appreciation, with a couple of tongue in cheek tracks in the form of Good Time Mama and Stick It In Your Pipe And Smoke It. Listening to his music happily transported me to a bar in New Orleans, if I hadn’t known better it would have been hard to pick that this was one man doing it all.

Vocally he has tones of Elvis, complimented with lively vibrant instrumentation.

The 12 tracks on Utility Blues are undeniably a testament that “men can indeed, multitask…”

Release date 17/03/2017