•
Rating: Bocephus King (aka Jamie Perry) is a Canadian songwriter from the Vancouver area who began to gain attention thanks to this work and also due to a very intense live activity (I discovered him by seeing one of his shows). To start clarifying a bit about the character and his album, it must be said immediately that BK is an extremely talented and versatile musician influenced by Roots-Rock, Jazz, Blues, and Folk.
Listening to this "The Blue Sickness" you realize how much the Canadian is inspired by Dylan, Tom Waits, and the jazz of Miles Davis. The album opens with "Eight and a Half" with its oriental atmospheres, you will immediately realize the impressive voice Mr. BK has. To be fair, this song is, in my opinion, perhaps the weakest of the entire album. However, we are quickly convinced otherwise by the start of "Josephina" with a very captivating snare. The first strong piece arrives with "Mess of Love", which boasts a very groovy guitar riff and an almost RockSteady progression, all supported by a Whisky&Cigarettes style voice. The following piece "The Worst Friend" is noted once again for the excellent vocal performance (but this will no longer be a novelty) and for the excellent background piano. In the next "The Blue Sickness", Trumpet, Sax, and Hammond converse pleasantly, offering us atmospheric blues. The bassline of the next piece "Please Answer the Phone" together with the percussion and Slide Guitar give an almost psychedelic or rather claustrophobic note to the song. "Honey Baby" takes us inside a smoky New Orleans venue while the following "The Way the Story Goes" is fantastic with a very jazzy trumpet and a rhyming vocal that makes it almost seem like a JAPP (Jazz-Rap... bear with me and forgive the perhaps daring combination, but listen to it and then tell me). "Precious Things" flows by very pleasantly with an almost Gospel ending. "My Blue Soul" is a soulful song centered on the dualism of BK and Jane Sawyer's voices.
The CD closes with two excellent ballads. "Hustler's Lament" creates a dark atmosphere thanks to the piano and a perfectly fitting Slide Guitar. "Ballad of the Barbarous Nights" sounds like a heartfelt and touching plea for help from all the desperate ones BK talks about in his lyrics. The piano accompaniment is masterful. Bocephus King is a character to be discovered, and I hope you do, excellent musician and songwriter, splendid voice, and skills that qualify him as a great protagonist of the new American Rock (... oops Canadian). Recommended to everyone.
Loading comments slowly
