"Rare as hen's teeth are young, modern blues musicians that can assuredly conjure the primal country blues without coming across as mere jacklegs. This Kansas born and raised duo (1861 is the year that Kansas joined the Union), with their visceral blend of Mississippi Hill Country, Delta, folk and rural blues, not only embrace the music's roots. They also perform with energy and atmospheric derring-do that is as heartfelt and sincere as it is raw and stripped-down.

Emporia born string-bender Aaron "Chainsaw" Moreland, whose instruments include a fretless, four-string "cigar-box" guitar, a National steel resonator model and a vintage parlor guitar, is complemented unerringly by longtime buddy, co-songwriter and Wichita-born Dustin Arbuckle's forebodingly raspy vocals an idiomatic country blues harmonica work - with both spurred on by dynamite drummer Brad Horner throughout. The inimitable "gas tank bass" player Jeffrey Eaton joins the trio on the western-tinged combustible "The Legend" while Chris Wiser adds hair-raising Hammond B3 organ emphasis to both the ominously droning "Diamond Ring" and his co-authored, lengthy closing instrumental workout titled "Wiser Jam." A moody, deep-veined classic.

In addition to six more in-the-groove band originals, the pair's choice of cover material is brilliant. A windows-rattling slide guitar-driven sendup of Hound Dog Taylor's signature "Gonna Send You Back to Georgia," leads things off. It flamboyantly sits alongside a drums-pounding, hypnotic take on R.L. Burnside's primitive edgy "See My Jumper Hangin' on the Line" and a steamy impassioned revival of Ryan Taylor's soulful suicide blues "Pittsburgh in the Morning, Philadelphia at Night."

Further Moreland/Arbuckle composed favorites encompass the hard romping, slide-infused slice of Midwest philosophy "Never far Behind," the chilling commentary "Teasin' Doney" (with Moreland's acoustic finger-picking rhythms recalling Reverend Robert Wilkins), the easy rocking "Please Please Mammy" (where they resonantly channel another of their heroes, Jimmy Reed) and "Tell Me Why," where they do the same for Mississippi Fred McDowell. As fine a major label debut as both the Wheelchair Man and I have heard in quite a while. Contact Toronto, Canada's enterprising NorthernBlues concern at northernblues.com for more info."
Gary von Tersch