Black Joe Lewis – Electric Slave

            Looking for something that sounds down and dirty in a Black Keys kinda way, but rocks like early Hendrix as well?  Black Joe Lewis’ Electric Slave.  It is a strong compendium of heavy guitar rock, with aggressive distorted vocals and a dense full band sound.

            While listening to Electric Slave I was given a distinct Chuck Berry-meets-the Clash-listening-to-Black Angels-while-smoking-copious-amounts-of-weed impression.  I mean we’re talking Berry’s twelve bar blues, with the Clash’s dirty bass sound and Black Angels vocal style. Electric Slave is a really energetic record, but also strait forward enough to get down to.  Compared to his “Bitch I Love You” days, this is a departure for Black Joe Lewis. Electric Slave’s drums sound appropriately big, horn sections bite through the fat guitar layers, and there is also some James Brown to his screamed freak-outs, but without the funk completely. 

            The songs on Electric Slave come as a complete surprise.  I don’t know what I expected from it…Maybe something a little more chilled out.  I got the opposite.   The album is a complete cluster fuck of noisy guitar chaos.  Its pretty cool when things line up in unison, like the top two string bend on a guitar lining up with a sloppy horn line.  Its got all the sixties fuzz you could want, and each song really stands on its own, and retains an interesting feel as a variable all the way thru it.

            There is assuredly some mid 70’s black revival sound in it as well, but not as much as Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, or things of that nature. Electric Slave doesn’t seem gimmicky at all, and has appeal to modern listeners, not just those that long for the past.