I reviewed the album “The Story So Far” from this Birmingham (UK) based duo last year, and they have certainly been putting the time into performance and promotion this past year; I keep seeing them pop up all over the place on the blues news! I think Debra has given Ritchie a new burst of energy, as his guitar work now has this passion to it. Check out the guitar break around 2.36 (or around the four minute mark) and you will see what I mean!
This is low down dirty blues, and it delivers some bluesy lament about losing your man to the girl next door. It fits Debra’s vocals perfectly, and she delivers a sleazy vocal with a decent country sound that kind of blends with the blues guitar and provides a sound combination. (I always liked her vocals on “Working in the City,” a song that really suited her, and has a rock feel. But she is very comfortable with the country feel of her vocals on “The Girl Next Door” too).
The song (and accompanying video) are both produced by long-standing collaborator Michael Tingle, and the video is a bit of fun too, and I’m pleased the guys are making some of these now as it adds to the experience for the fans! They have been playing this track live now for a couple of months, so good to see it available for download release.
I know Ritchie talked to Mark and Benny in a feature for us at the back end of last year and he commented about the success in this musical combination (Himself and Debra) for the creative process,
“I knew there was a magic there that I never had with anyone else, Debra was the icing on the cake. It came with an incredible energy, and we’ve written about seventeen songs now, thirteen on the album and a couple out that weren’t on the album… We have been highly creative, and it is a melting pot of jazz, southern rock, and blues.”
That does sum up the “Story So Far,” but with this single we have moved quite firmly back into one of those smoky jazz bars from the late fifties, but a bar that has quite a few people sitting around with a cowboy hat and a pair of boots!
It will be out on Amazon and iTunes imminently.
I liked it, well done guys!
By Stevie Ritson
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Many thanks for the fabulous review.Excellent.
Ritchie Dave Porter x