Gonna play me a whole bus show

Continuing my trip back through the 2015 album charts.

29/03/15 : Sonic Soul Surfer - Seasick Steve


I REALLY don't understand the appeal of Seasick Steve - my overall view is "talentless racket". So what are the chances of this album changing my opinion? Slim to none, my friend...

Hmmm. Actually, the album does actually slightly change my mind because I think there is a modicum of talent involved - there are some decent blues riffs on there, although I didn't get the impression there was a huge amount of variety on there. I stand by my opinion that it's a racket though - the songs are generally bang average and he just can't sing, so I really don't see the appeal. Having said that, I actually didn't mind the opening track, but then he had to go and make it last for over six minutes, so he lost whatever good will he might have earned - and a load of the other tracks are not as good and even longer. And I certainly didn't listen to the four bonus tracks, one of which was 7:29 long - it's a big no from me, in case you hadn't guessed.

We're at #4 in the chart this week with a new entry on the start of a thoroughly undeserved thirteen week run. The rest of the top five were James (a new entry), Sam, Ed and Kendrick and there were two more new entries in the top ten for Laura Marling (#7 - and I would much rather have listened to this) and Cribs (#9).

Wikipedia tells me this is his seventh (God help us) album and the critics were nice enough about it, whilst also claiming it wasn't exactly pushing any of his musical boundaries. It did better than I expected in Europe, making the top twenty in Belgium and The Netherlands - but it's fair to say it was only us that went mad for it.

"Customers also listened to" The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Otis Taylor, Thørbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado and Hugh Laurie - you weren't expecting that last name, were you? There's a risk I might have to see Seasick Steve again, but I'm very much hoping not - why do people put themselves through this?

22/03/15 - Perfectly pleasant
05/04/15 - Fine if you like that sort of thing

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