Reviewed by Niazi Fetto

"If I hadn't had the production input of my buddies, I woulda had us record this on a porch." Glenn Kaiser's words go a long way to summing up the feel of 'Slow Burn', his second project with Darrell Mansfield after the successful 'Trimmed And Burnin". This is raw, steel string, message blues, produced with precisely the right amount of restraint by Tom Cameron to ensure that it never suffocates under the weight of production perfectionism, nor, however, does it ever fray uncomfortably at the edges. A showcase for two of the best blues artists in the industry, 'Slow Burn' is a gem. Both men possess that angst-soaked gritty vocal that can only sing blues, both play (Kaiser guitar, Mansfield harmonica) with refined virtuosity, tailoring their immense talent to suit the genre, and the result is outstanding. Seventeen tracks, all but three penned by Glenn Kaiser, produced, arranged and performed with a depth and variety that kept me coming back for more. Don't expect, however, the sort of gut-wrenching lyrics Kaiser pens for Rez for they are not to be found here. The songwriting is geared to delivering its message with a punch, with only a smattering of more contemplative tracks, such as the beautiful "Long Way From My Home" and the title track, for which the vocals and guitar were, quite amazingly, recorded in one take. I was particularly impressed with the excellent arrangement of "This Little Light", the passionate opener "Cover Me" and the superlative "Ps 99" - never has a Psalm been fitted so well to a guitar. This is music that communicates, music that conveys God better than any I have yet heard -1 was struck and inspired by the messages, blown away by the sheer talent and held fast by the depth of interpretation and production. Don't miss out.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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