Album review: ‘Weston Blues’

The Cotton Toe Three

“Weston Blues”

Toe Jam Recordings

cotton-toe.bandcamp.com

You can sidestep the blues’ requisite evil and attitude all you want, but you can’t escape it here. It’s inevitable, man. Slide guitarist Mike “Cotton Toe” Scrivens is a likeable bloke and isn’t nearly as harsh as some other bluesmen and their dobros tend to be. And while Scrivens and his band, The Cotton Toe Three, don’t wax too despondent, there’s a damper on the joy, all the same.

This is a blues recording in the truest sense of the word. It’s a laid-back affair, with traditional cuts like “In the Pines” reflecting and reverberating with an oxidized patina alongside driving originals, like my favorite cut, “A Ticket Home,” or “Weston Blues,” with its zesty squeezebox squeezins sprinkled liberally on top. This excellent, eight-cut platter grinds to a halt with The Cotton Toe Three’s take on Elmore James “Grinnin’ in Your Face.” Give this one a spin for a grin and see what I mean.

This article appears in Aug 29 – Sep 4, 2018.