You are hereAlbum Review: Davina and the Vagabonds - Black Cloud (Self Release)
Album Review: Davina and the Vagabonds - Black Cloud (Self Release)
Minnesota-based Davina and the Vagabonds release their third album, which follows both UNDER LOCK AND KEY (2008) and LIVE @ THE TIMES (2009), with more of their own particular blend of jazz-infused juke joint music. With Michael Carvale on upright bass, Connor McRae on drums, Dan Eikmeier on trumpet and Ben Link on trombone, each contributing their own particular voices, it's Davina Sowers in particular who unavoidably draws our attention. With a voice that could penetrate steel, Davina delivers a soulful and blues-drenched performance throughout, coming over as a cross between Bonnie Raitt and Eartha Kitt.
Sandwiched between the Vagabond Stomp intro and outros, the dozen numbers in between pack a real punch, with not a single guitar in sight. The syncopated New Orleans flavoured jazz rhythms are maintained throughout, with Davina's strong and purposeful piano style leading the way through each of the compositions. Rubbing shoulders over the last few years with the likes of Pinetop Perkins, Aaron Neville, Gary Moore, Ten Years After, Irma Thomas and Robert Cray will certainly have been beneficial to one of the hardest working bands on the scene, clocking up an astonishing 300 gigs per year average.
Equally at home with soulful gospel numbers such as River and Carry Him With You, rock n roll dance tunes such as Lipstick and Chrome, or burlesque blues-infused Vaudevillian numbers such as the title cut Black Cloud, the band perform with informed professionalism. Highly theatrical and thoroughly entertaining.
Allan Wilkinson
Northern Sky
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