Ivor S.K.

Talk about your nu blues for nu times…S.K. is a white boy with the blues, but he’s a young’un from Australia with a thing for Caribbean islands—and it all turns up in the mix. With that Delta tinge in his voice, he plays all the instruments on this romp for future frat boys to come. Moldy figs might not want to take a byte but those young adults you see whooping it up in contemporary beer commercials need to have this blasting at their next deck party. An original that knows how to make it his own, this is a wonderful peek at the future of back porch blues. Check it out.

Our favorites leaned toward his somewhat-darker side, save for the leadoff title cut. “Montserrat” is a swingin’ number about that Caribbean hideaway, where you can go “sip that ginger beer!”

Extremely enjoyable album for the open minded bluesfan. A must have!

If he was any more laid back he’d fall over backwards. Laconic to the point of near unconsciousness, 25 year old Sydney, Australia singer/guitarist -interprets Delta blues so faithfully you’d swear he was a muddy-footed native. In a drawl that sounds like his throat is clotted with Mississippi mud, SK floats through a 6 song EP of originals that sound like they were excavated from underneath the porch of some stilt house in the alluvial bottomlands.

Although the Aussie singer/guitarist now calls New Orleans home, his accent sounds more deep ‘Sippi than Crescent City. The title cut mixes deep dish blooze with muddy, tent-revival gospel. On “Help Poor Me,” SK sounds like Howling Wolf with a heartache, pickin’ his guitar with a clawhammer. Slow and deliberate, SK gets the job done like a scaly denizen of the swamp who just clawed his way up on the bank to get some sun.

Hard to believe a young Australian wrote “Missus Green.” As down home as a plate of grits and red eye gravy, it’s a backporch, barefootin’ ode to a backwoods beauty, served up with a side of big foot thump.

He lightens up a bit on “Pelican,” bringing in some greasy slide to flavor up his fingerpicking. But his fingers do most of the walking around here, the pelican doing a funky strut, the slide occasionally nipping at his heels.

“I Like The Way” is SK’s notion of what passes for pillow talk round these parts. It’s the condensed version of love gone wrong in three verses. He’s lovin the way she walks and talks and whispers in the first verse. By the end of the second verse, things have moved along considerably. He’s liking the way she moans and the way her hair lays on his pillow. But by the third verse it’s gone all to hell, he doesn’t like her attitude, hates her wicked ways, her mamma and her whole family. It glides by in a syrupy drawl perfectly suited for delivering insults. By the time you get you feet unstuck from the sticky trail he’s left behind to attempt pursuit and seek revenge, he’s already slithered back into the murky bayou to await another victim.

By the time this too short outpouring glides to a close, you’ll be wanting another serving. Dish ’em up soon, please, and keep ’em coming.

Is quickly climbing to the top of my list of favorite songwriters. One year has lapsed since his critically acclaimed EP, Delta Pines crossed my desk. I loved that disc. I adore his latest release, Montserrat as well. This debut full-length album consists of ten original masterpieces steeped in blues. Montserrat showcases the genius with each song written, arranged and performed by the artist himself.

I quickly latch on to the marching rhythm of breakup song “Don’t Say Goodbye” while enjoying the slick rockabilly guitar licks. The hook in “Ain’t No Cross” masterfully induces a double-take, while tackling one of the largest white elephants on the planet. His tale of double-crossing drug dealers in the Caribbean-flavored “I’ve Been Had” is a sheer delight. It is funky and contagious.

“It’s Raining”, beautiful and melancholy, sinks in deep. His performance on acoustic guitar is absolutely lovely. The jazzy homage to the Big Easy in “Take Me Back to New Orleans” is vibrant and alluring, painting pictures of exploring the local music scene and chilling at the world-famous Beignets.

Listening to him reminds me of listening to Tom Waits for the first time, being caught up in the wonderfully raspy voice, the musicianship, and the songs.. those killer songs. This album indeed stands up and stands out.