Straight from the banks of the Mersey delta comes 25 year old blues singer Delta Maid, set to release her debut EP on Shake A Bush Records on July 26th.
The five track release is a moonshine swaddled serving of blues’n’bourbon inspired songwomanship, which owes as much to Nashville and Memphis as it does from Delta’s straight talking hometown of Liverpool.
The title track and ‘Any Way I Want To’ were produced and recorded by Liam Watson at London’s legendary Toerag Studios, an analogue paradise favoured by the White Stripes, the Cribs and the Kills.
‘Broken Branches’’ laid back Louisiana shuffle recalls Bobbie Gentry’s lilting sixties vocals. ‘Any Way I Want To’ boasts a more contemporary, Dixie Chicks style edge, with Delta announcing “I’m gonna sleep with the light on/I’m gonna drink in the afternoon,” in this empowering shot of honky-tonk primed self-affirmation.
The EP includes two cover versions of rare blues tracks; Chicago guitarist J.B Lenoir’s ‘Slow Down’ and Eric Bibb’s ‘Don’t Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down’. The latter features a verse from gospel blues singer Reverend Gary Davis’ 'Gonna Sit Down On The Banks Of The River', which Delta has seamlessly incorporated into the song’s saloon bar swagger.
The two cover versions – as well as ‘Stop Worryin’ Baby’, on which elements of a young Dolly Parton seep into Delta’s vocal - see the finger-picking Delta backed on guitar by her brother Dominic Foulkes. Both are currently recording Delta’s debut album in Liverpool.
Delicate yet rousing, and confident but restrained, Delta Maid’s debut EP is a future classic swathed in the warmth of the past.
DELTA MAID UPCOMING SHOWS
July 7th Gig- Switzerland, Lausanne, FESTIVAL DE LA CITE
July 8th Gig- Switzerland, Lausanne, FESTIVAL DE LA CITE
July 9th Gig – Scotland, T IN THE PARK
July 15th Gig- London, THE ELGIN
July 16th Gig- Suffolk, LATITUDE FESTIVAL
July 17th Gig- Yorkshire, DEERSHED FESTIVAL
July 26th Gig – London, SLAUGHTERED LAMB
August 6th Gig- BIG CHILL FESTIVAL, Eastnor Castle
August 16th Gig- London, THE LEXINGTON
August 23rd Gig – London, THE BEDFORD
Sept 3rd Gig – Ireland, ELECTRIC PICNIC FESTIVAL
Sept 11th Gig- Newark, NEWARK BLUES FESTIVAL
Sept 12th Gig- London, Jubilee Gardens, THAMES FESTIVAL
|
