Red Dirt Skinners

The Red Dirt Skinners have been busy for the last couple of years; almost constant touring, nominations for both Country music and Blues Music award and, recently, Sarah Skinner won Instrumentalist of the Year in the British Blues Awards.

This live album was recorded recently on their pre-referendum Scottish tour and shows exactly why they are so busy and so well received across the country, Europe and Canada – it ain’t just Blues or just Country or just anything else.
From the opener ‘Cornbread, Peas and Black Molasses’ you get tastes of all of their various skills with Rob's vocals and guitar, soft harmonies from Sarah and then a lovely soprano sax solo at the break.

A number of the songs have a country feel to them, especially ‘Girl In A Truck’ or ‘Lay Me Down’ but with the added difference given by the sax but then they are equally fine with a number like ‘Got My Mojo Working’ which definitely ain’t Muddy Waters but is absolutely a Blues and proves that the Blues is a wider church than some give it credit for.
They do a chilling version of ‘Space Oddity’ which is rather shocking – few electronics or special effects just their voices and a crowd whose attention is so rapt that you feel the blackness. Grabbing an audience like that is a special talent.

The harmonies of tracks like ‘Brown’s Ferry Blues exposes their voices and leaves no margin for error but they are good enough to carry it off and once again they carry the music with sheer talent and enjoyment. Closing on ‘Hot Tamales’ they are wound up and blowing at top heat.

The pair seem to be enjoying playing and getting well into the music – there is no sense of flash or going through the motions – and they are good enough to make simple music sound special and they are doing something musically that sets them apart from the mass of bands out there who are just copying what has gone before.

This is pretty damn fine ‘stuff’ whatever genre it is supposed to be in – just enjoy it for what it is.