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ELAM McKNIGHT & BOB BOGDAL - Zombie Nation; ELAM McKNIGHT & BOB BOGDAL - Zombie Nation
Topic Started: Sep 23 2011, 11:06 AM (287 Views)
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ELAM McKNIGHT & BOB BOGDAL
Zombie Nation

Desert Highway 2011

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Cheez, but that's a bowfin' cover. Just as well that the music lurking within the grooves is considerably better. Elam McKnight and Bob Bogdal have got their own solo blues careers, but this is their first release as a duo. Elam McKnight has put out three albums since 2003, and Bob Bogdal has been honking his horn for a couple of decades now, leading up to his solo debut, "Underneath the Kudzu", which came out back in 2005.

Seems that "Zombie Nation" has a bit of a concept behind it, with the explanation being "how people these days are very easily duped into ways of thinking that sometimes are not based in reality... it creates all these figurative zombies stumbling around our country simply droning on about talking points that have been programmed into them". So now you know. Musically, however, it's fairly traditional, with a souped up mix of Delta blues and hill country blues being the main influences. And they're really good at it.

It's all original material, although they have reached outside the traditional blues world for inspiration, with 'Brother to a Stone' inspired by the poem 'Thanatopsis' by poet William Cullen Bryant and 'Hocus Pocus' inspired by the novel of the same name by Kurt Vonnegut. In the main, it's the trio of McKnight (electric / acoustic / resonator guitars), Bogdal (harmonica/ resonator guitar), and Tom Hambridge on drums who kick up a storm on some really good blues tunes like 'Pojo's Place', 'Zombiefication' and the aforementioned, 'Brother To A Stone', which is a real highlight of the album.

Conceptually and lyrically, it's a wee bit out of the normal for the blues, but musically, it cuts right to the chase, and top to bottom, is a simply fantastic release.

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Don't forget to tune into Mr H every Thursday at 8pm, Her Majestys Great British time, when you will find him Rockin' The Blues on that there internet radio.
http://www.getreadytorockradio.com/
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