Glasgow's own snarling minstrel, Dave Arcari, is back to terrorise unbelievers with a new studio album. Here at Bluesbunny we anticipate that this alone will trigger a season of record profits at the State Bar. Let's hope so. This latest release is true to the formula that has won Arcari endless praise - not least from renowned hobo Seasick Steve - and sits nicely alongside his previous releases. Get yourself a beer.
There's only so much that any one man can do with one National steel guitar, but Arcari truly bleeds the axe dry and easily overcomes the dull sound and uninspired production. Certainly, if Arcari's guitar was a woman, he'd have been locked up long ago.
Interestingly, and perhaps acknowledging the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Arcari lends his talents to a rendition of "Parcel of Rogues". It's always a risk to try and adapt and arrange poems to music. Thankfully, with Burns (who was known to be a musician himself), the only danger lies in befouling his great words. Thankfully, Dave doesn't let us down.
Elsewhere, Dave journeys through familiar territory on such tracks as "Nobody's Fool" and "Hear Me Coming" while there's an almost skiffle feel to "Homesick and Blue" on which the ghost of Hank Williams seems to be trying to break through. Either that, or Dave was attempting to yodel.
If Dave Arcari keeps producing albums like this, his fans should get a beer named after him. Or would that be a whisky? It could be that we're talking moonshine here.