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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Seasick Steve is Steve Wold, a moustachioed American bluesman who, on Dog House Music, plays American roots music with the tight-belt economy and authentic spirit of the genre's originators (there's a lineage here, too – Steve was taught his first chords by Delta bluesman KC Douglas). A long-term street-dweller, Wold's instrumentation is simplistic in the extreme: a three-stringed trance guitar, a slide instrument known as 'the one-stringed diddy-bo', and the Mississippi Drum Machine, a wooden box that provides the most rudimentary percussion. In the true blues spirit, Seasick Steve sings his life. For an autobiography of sorts, head for 'Dog House Boogie', a phlegmatic timeline that commences at the age of four with his parent's divorce, and rambles off through several decades of vagrant living and downhome manners. 'Hobo Low' is perhaps the sharpest, best distilled take on Steve's drifter philosophy, his voice raising to quivering, booming peaks over sparse stabs of blues guitar. 'Save Me', meanwhile, sees the diddy-bo make an appearance – a taut, trembling twang that resembles an amplified rubber band. If this review makes Dog House Music sound bare-bones, well, it is – but everyone from blues aficionados to White Stripes fans should find something to love here. --Louis Pattison
Review
This late-blooming Mississippi bluesman now calls Norway home, but you wouldn't really know it by the authentic southern atmosphere he conjures up on this, his first album proper. Sounding like a mutant cross between Howlin' Wolf and Tony Joe White, he's got the kind of vocal style and mannerisms that so many less talented white bluesmen have adopted ever since the '60s blues boom, giving the blues a bad name in the process. But this guy's the real thing.
As he relates in the thoroughly auto-biographical ''Hobo Low'' and ''Dog House Boogie'', he really did leave a broken home at 14 and live rough, hopping freight trains as he drifted across America. And you can bet your last nickel that the hitch-hiker left out in the cold on ''Salem Blues'' was him. 'I'm gon' warm my fingers' he mutters, before worrying the strings in a sublimely evocative flourish that sums up his approach to music making - highly imaginative, original and true to life.
Seasick Steve (real name Steve Wold) shot to cult fame in the UK after a knock-out appearance for the TV show Later with Jools Holland on New Years Eve 2006, toting his trademark 3-stringed guitar, which is all he plays on most of Dog House Music, aside from stomping on his 'Mississippi drum machine' (a box on the floor, basically). On ''Save Me'' he gets really basic, twanging on the one-stringed 'diddley bow', an ancient African American instrument that partly inspired another great stage name - Bo Diddley's.
In a few places, two relatives add some proto-percussion to Steve's no-nonsense picking and sliding, but mostly it's just the man, his guitar, his stomp and his engaging stories. They have the unmistakable ring of truth about them and sometimes continue when the music stops, as at the end of ''I'm Gone'', where he launches into a rambling tale about a dog, which may or may not be shaggy. --Jon Lusk
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
74 of 75 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As per many other reviews I first saw Steve on Jools Holland's New Year show, I bought both of his albums on the basis of his performance and have not been disappointed. Currently both of these records occupy the most listened to place within my album collection and if you have even a passing interest in the blues I strongly recommend that you take the plunge. I will certainly endeavour to see him live, an experience which I am sure will be even better than that of the CD. As other commentators have testified what a refreshing change to hear raw, emotive talent at its very best.
116 of 119 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I too caught Seasick Steve on Jools Holland's Hootenanny, and couldn't believe what I was hearing. Steve Wold (real name), out playing every other artist there, with his three string guitar.
When I found out his CD was out, I bought it straight away.
If you didn't know any better, you'd believe you were listening to an old Sonhouse album or early John Lee Hooker. You can just imagine Steve recording this album in one take, sitting there in a room with nothing but a beat up guitar, and a bottle of Bourban.
If you're a true fan of Delta Blues you will love this album. Its raw, refreshing, and as authentic as Mississippi mud.
You can only do yourself a massive favour by adding this to your CD collection. Buy it now!
When I found out his CD was out, I bought it straight away.
If you didn't know any better, you'd believe you were listening to an old Sonhouse album or early John Lee Hooker. You can just imagine Steve recording this album in one take, sitting there in a room with nothing but a beat up guitar, and a bottle of Bourban.
If you're a true fan of Delta Blues you will love this album. Its raw, refreshing, and as authentic as Mississippi mud.
You can only do yourself a massive favour by adding this to your CD collection. Buy it now!
147 of 153 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Seasick Steve is the best, and, in a lot ways, the most authentic bluesman currently operating. Apparently he spent many years hoboing and hopping freights in the 1960s, and then started playing with many of the blues greats, including Son House, John Lee Hooker and Lightnin' Hopkins. He then re-emerged as part of the grunge scene in the '90s, producing and playing with Modest Mouse, Calvin Johnson and Bikini Kill amongst many others. Pretty amazing life story, huh?! Now he's back playing the blues. His first album, Cheap was recorded with the excellent Level Devils. Now he's solo and it's still mighty soulful, gutbucket stuff, with a punky attack on the lot of the numbers (My Donny,Yellow Dog), but also some pretty profound delicacy on other tracks (Salem Blues, Shirly Lou, I'm Gone). His live gigs are joyously fervent affairs akin to a revivalist prayer meeting, but without all the god-nonsense. Buy this album and attend one of the Rev. Steve's preaching sessions.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
More excellent music from Seasick Steve!
"Cut My Wings" is my favorite track from this album, which continues a seemingly never-ending streak of excellent music from Seasick Steve.
Published 4 months ago by matt
Fantastic album
Having just bought 'A man from another time' and 'I started off with nothing and I still have most of it left' I was very quick to order me a copy of this offering by the enigmatic... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dan
nice pressy
bought this for a xmas present to my son in law from the dog.He will be well pleased.It arrived promptly and lives up to its description.
Published 6 months ago by Mrs. Valerie Gallant
Seasick is a real character
Seasick is a real character, he seems to have a knack of seeing something new in each song. This albums another great song collection which gets better the more times you listen. Read more
Published 11 months ago by GW
What a relief
from the soulless, mechanical, corporate dross that we are told to get in line and worship.
Published 19 months ago by Adam Dawson
Good stuff
Was a bit nervous about buying this without hearing it first, but a friend in a country band (The Coal Porters - well worth a listen) said he really rated him, so I took a punt. Read more
Published 19 months ago by L. E. Metcalfe
Nice one Steve
I've seen seasick Steve a few time now on tv and on stage and he comes across as a really nice down to earth guy that has a real talent for music I love the tunes on this album but... Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2010 by Malcolm H. Smith
Doghouse Music
I bought this album primarily because his newest release was temporarily out of stock. I admit I was influenced by an interview on TV and his 'downhome' style, and he seems like... Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2010 by Mr. J. H. Wheeler
Dog House Music by Seasick Steve
Amazingly quick delivery, surprise present for husband who was highly delighted so will be looking to add some more Seasick Steve's to his collection.
Published on 4 Jan 2010 by M. SHARPE
Dog House Music
I have already purchased Steve's albums 'Man From Another Time' and 'I Started Out with Nothin....' so I wanted to hear some of his earlier work. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2009 by Anthony T. Mountford
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