Delta Spirit - History From Below

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 14 / 8 / 2010

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Review

A fine album here from Delta Spirit, who perform bluesy soul-rock in fine style, with throaty vocals from Matt Vasquez. Having formed in 2005, when rhythm section Jonathan Jameson and Brandon Young (who had a background in emo) combined with their friend Scott Walker in the hope of playing the kind of music they listened to at home, they found Vasquez busking on a bench in the small hours of the morning. With hhis honey and whiskey soaked vocals in place, they had all the ingredients for music that combined 70's southern rock with country and vintage soul. After much acclaim for their debut album, ‘Ode To Sunshine’, the band have opted to spread their wings slightly, with the acoustic based sound expanded to the point where it would potentially fill a stadium in places. Yet, it never strikes me that they have lost any of their authenticity. The songs continue to sound relatively straightforward, yanking up from bluesy shuffles to belted out choruses, but underneath this Walker shows that he is a fine guitarist, layering his guitar parts over one another and adding a new dimension to Vazquez’s soul melodies. Far from sounding retro, Delta Spirit seem to adopted the sounds and attitude of an increasingly distant past with ease. Yet, as good as ‘History From Below’ is, I suspect that they will really be at their best in the live setting.

Track Listing:-

1 911
2 Bushwick Blues
3 Salt in the Wound
4 White Table
5 Ransom Man
6 Devil Knows You're Dead
7 Golden State
8 Scarecrow
9 Vivian
10 St. Francis
11 Ballad of Vitaly

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