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Reviewed by Chris Dent

B-Side Band: The Collection

Reviewed by Chris Dent

B-Side Band: The Collection

It’s blues, with some rockabilly tied in too. So where do we go from there? The album is well titled as the songs were recorded between 2008 and 2013, and all but one of the 19 tracks have previously featured on other B-Side Band releases.

There are protest themes throughout the songs, but primarily this is an outright classic bluesy rocking good time.

Standing out is the implementation of different instruments that have a tendency to just pop up unexpectedly. Derek Jacombs adds tasteful mandolin and Denin Richards some nice rhythmic banjo. That and the harmonica, well-played by vocalist Paul Parkhouse, lifts the songs without being overused. His solos and the instrumental tracks provide the highlights for me.

The production is sound overall from Tauranga’s Boatshed Studio engineer Nigel Masters, and similarly, given the challenges of such a compilation, the mastering by Tim Julian of Colourfield Studio. This is upbeat and has its moments, but also sometimes fall a little flat and lyrically the content can be a touch clichéd. Presumably put together as a take-home product for enthused live audiences, it will serve that purpose nicely.