With the rise in the number of superb female Blues singers and players in the last few years – think of Joanne Shaw Taylor, Elles Bailey, Dani Wilde, Samantha Fish, Chantel McGregor – along with the OG of stars like Dana Gillespie, Zoe Schwarz, Connie Lush, you have to be very good to keep your head above ground. Rebecca Downes is just that – VERY good. A strong voice, a fine songwriter (with co-writer Steve Birkett), and this album seems to be just the material to take her to the larger venues her talent deserves.
Although she is described as a Blues/Rock singer, there is a lot of soul and smoke in her voice and she couples that with a brilliant vocal range to switch easily between power ballads, outright rockers and dark and atmospheric material. The full band consists of Rebecca on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Steve Birkett on lead guitar and backing vocals along with Nigel Darvill or Aidan Goldstraw on keys and Hammond, Vince Yarrington on bass guitar and Neil Ablard on drums, and they certainly seem capable of keeping up with her.
After the lovely little throwaway ‘Beccs Blues’ (all crackles and 1930’s acoustic) the rest of the album is full throated and full-on. The music feels ‘live’ with great communication between the band and the singer. On tracks such as ‘Terrorise’, Downes vocals have a sultry and ‘slinky’ element to them with the band creating a massive and vaulting soundstage behind her while on the title track the whole stage is slimmed down as she puts in a passionate vocal. They do a fine version of Free’s ‘A Little Bit Of Love’, really anthemic (you can imagine the handclaps and waving arms). ‘Not On My Knees’ is the real monster number with a huge, dark and menacing sound and pleading vocals from Ms Downes.
It is a terrific listen, not a wasted moment and a few tracks that will find themselves on my mixtape of the year.
