RANDY McALLISTER AND THE SCRAPPIEST BAND IN THE MOTHERLAND

PAPERBAG SALVATION

2021-03-31

Drummer, harmonica player, singer and songwriter Randy McAllister checks in with ten new tunes that take advantage of his instrumental prowess, witty wordplay and solid vocals. Whether he’s comparing his love to a favorite food group, "You’re Like Mashed Potatoes", calling out that person we could each nominate given a minute to think about it, "Most Irritating Person in the World", yearning to be back where you just left, "South North South", or its flipside where he encourages you to enjoy where you are now, "Best Patch of Grass", McAllister takes a different route than the well tread blues path of bad luck, bad drink or bad partners. He also pauses to reflect on such tracks as "Catch up Later" where he extols the virtues of letting your foot off the accelerator while "Personal Pinata" promises a silver lining to the suitor that waits around long enough. Even though a number of the cuts such as "I’m Doing all the Heavy Lifting" are too wordy to ever prompt an easy sing-along, there is always something to redeem them nevertheless whether it be one of guitarist Brandon Hudspeth’s tasty guitar riffs, a change of tempo marked by a staccato drum fill or vocalist Heather Newman’s saucy background support. Musically, this collection mines several veins with tracks like the revenge epic "Waiting Bones" checking the rock box and others like "No Conductor" living in the acoustic blues world. Overall, a fine disc that will freshen up your blues rotation SMITTY

review by Mark