Downchild's current lineup has been together for over 15 years, and I Need A Hat shows their experience and talent. Don Walsh leads the group, followed by Chuck Jackson, Pat Carey, Michael Fonfara, Gary Kendall, and Mike Fitzpatrick, with others scattered in on random instruments.
I Need A Hat is the kind of album that Muddy Waters would be proud of. Downchild is from Canada, but they play with the kind of soul that the Chicago blues legend would love. The music is playful but precise, and full of style. The harmonicas rip through each song and the trumpets and saxophones add flavor, while the drums do way more than keep the beat.
The lyrics are clever and the vocals don't sound all that Canadian. On “Some More of That”, Walsh sings, “I'm working like a dog/but the world keeps moving like a pup.” Not all of the songs have vocals, but the ones that do make up for the lack of lyrics elsewhere, and the ones that don't honestly don't need them.
Downchild has been around for a long time for a reason. They play with the kind of tension free precision that can only come from years of improv and obvious respect for each other's talent. You'll feel the same respect after you hear I Need A Hat.
Key Tracks: I Need A Hat, Some More Of That, Down In The Delta
June 21, 2010
