The Paul Speidel Band

Just in is the newest release from The Paul Speidel Band titled Guitar Bass Drums. This cd should appeal to many whether they are a traditional blues lover or even a guitar lover. Paul and his partners Steve Skop on bass and Brendan Byrnes on drums have produced a truly wonderful set of music. I was surprised when I first popped the cd in to find it consisted of all instrumentals, a lack of lyrics on a cd is a rarity that only the most secure will attempt. These guys have pulled it off as very few can. The playing is tight, concise and fluid. Paul’s mastery of guitar makes for a very pleasing experience. The rhythm section keeps the music on a great track. The opening track Doggin’ The Walk, is a great lesson in blues guitar. It has a heavy Chicago sounding influence and reminds me of the playing of Buddy Guy and Johnny Winter. Next is Dirty Mudflaps, which comes out sounding like something we would have expected from Stevie Ray Vaughan had he still been among us. I also hear some Chuck Berry in the riffs. Burnslide is next and is an awesome bluesy number. This song is pure feeling and pure blues. A slow shuffle to get lost in, Texas style and featuring some very nice slide playing. He follows this with 3-Way Wiggle. This is a great boogie number that comes out reminding me of Hand Jive. He seems too meld blues and jazz to perfection here while keeping a pure blues feel. Beautiful In Blue follows and is correctly named. This is a wonderful song. It has a distinct jazz feel and is truly beautiful. Another boogie follows in The Bounce. A great name for this song as you gotta be dead not to move to this one. TX is next and has an almost early ZZ Top feel while having a sound it’s own. It is definitely a Texas style guitar song. Solar Winds is next and shows us once again the depth of Paul’s range of expression on guitar. Next we are treated to Dirty Mudflaps (Reprise), as Paul expands a bit on the version we heard earlier in the cd. He closes the cd with Only Three Bars Around, a slow shuffle which is the only one I felt would have been better with lyrics.
Overall this is a great product and a definite keeper. The voicings, timings and rhythms were superb throughout.
If you are in or plan to be in the Boston area, these guys are a must see.

Visit Paul’s web site at:
www.PaulSpeidelBand.com

Get Guitar Bass Drums here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OWTRT80Z