Self Issued (label)
04 November 2017 (released)
30 December 2017
A bit late with this but so good it needs to be out there.
2 EPs (available separately) of some superb country/Americana.
Although Cuss is a Canadian he has a very natural country tinge to his vocals and his songs sit right in that vein, touching on love, cheating women, passionate love affairs et al, but with a sense of humour that you don’t always get from the genre.
‘White Lies’ on Vol 1 is a classic country Blues about a cheating woman and her shenanigans and the love affair described in ‘Hardwood’ leaves little to wonder about but both these numbers have a tinge of laughter about them and by the time you hit ‘Shoreditch High’ on Vol 2 his subjects are getting darker and the tone more strident.
His writing really is fine though and I I found myself wanting to go back time and again to listen to his themes.
The supporting players are excellent with Steve Dawson playing guitars and pedal steel (as well as producing), William Moore playing sympathetic and solid bass and Chris Gestrin adding keys and piano. Drums on Vol 1 comes from Justin Amarat and Geoff Hicks on Vol 2.
Levi Cuss is an artist I want to investigate more deeply and on the basis of these two EPs he sounds as though he has some great chops and is well worth the trip to find him.
