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Mr David VinerThis Boy Don't Care Smash/Reverberation Forget the cover, kids: this ain't no late 60's retro psychodelic release. What you get is 14 tracks of quality, basic blues that can trace its origins all the way to the Mississippi. But, and there's always a but, Mr Viner (gotta love the confidence) is from North London with influences including Leonard Cohen, John Hurt and Bert Jansch. Go figure. 'This Boy....' is his second release (not bad for a 23 year old!), and features Mr Viner on guitar and vocals, with a superb backing group on piano, upright bass, electric guitar and drums adding the right vibe to the proceedings. Sick And Tired Of Being On My Own opens the proceedings, setting the scene with its brush drum shuffle and boogie piano. The slow waltz of Don't Take It To Heart shows the Cohen influences in its lyrical content, whilst creating an image of the sharecroppers celebrating the end of season dance in a wooden barn; very clever and expertly executed. The honky tonk feel in Lay Me Down does not seem out of place, while Seven Years is just Viner and guitar a very sparse, bitter track about love lost. The influence of Jansch is evident in the arrangement featured on the title track, which sees flute doing the whimsical lead break, and the inclusion of the traditional Nobody's Business signals Viner and his cohorts as having more than just a passing interest in the blues. The closer is fittingly called Viner's Outro; a wonderful jam-like instrumental allowing the band to cut loose; in a refined sort of way. Although not a long release (just on 37 minutes) Viner has made every byte count, ignoring filler for quality and proving that deep down he really does care. Outstanding.  |
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