Experience is no bad thing, and if his résumé is to be believed, then Florida-based blueser Ernie Southern must have some incredible stories to tell. A staunch advocate of and servant to the delta blues, "Every Day Is A Fight" sees Mr Southern bring a full-band sound to his blues stylings. Grab a bottle of beer and crank it up!
The title track serves as a fine start to the album, with some fine mouth harp to be heard while Southern's National Resophonic guitar sounds wonderful on "I Wanna Kill Somebody". Admittedly, Southern's vocals didn't entirely convince me that he really wanted to kill someone. Expect my death to be reported in the coming weeks…
Later on, there's a wonderfully antiquated feel to "Someone With Brains" as that National Resophonic homes in on you. A somewhat straightforward track, it is nonetheless menacing, and once again highlights the blues harping of Pompano Pete De Stefano. Let's face it, with a name like that he had to be good. We are then treated to some slide guitar on "Island Earth", but that blues harp once again dominates the song. There's even a little humour on display as can be found on "Atheist Funeral" ("I don't want to go to heaven/cause it does sound like hell").
Just as day passes into night, this release has an agreeable order to it, right down to the fading slide guitar on "Blame It On The Moon". If you're not satisfied by the album's end, try loosening your collar a touch.
While this album is a departure from the stripped-down blues heard on his last album, "Every Day Is A Fight" only further proves Southern's importance to modern blues. Highly recommended.
Available fromCD Baby.