Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin

“Third time out for this Ottawa based blues outfit.  As the title might seem to suggest, this is one hellaciously rockin’ set of get-up-off-your-ass-and-dance blues……..

This is one of the tightest albums I’ve heard in awhile, and no wonder- these 11 tracks have been road tested, and ten of ‘em were written by bandleader Kinsley……

the harp harp is spooky and dramatic, and the rhythm section swings with reckless, casual precision.  It’s almost as if the music is a living, breathing thing.

Mostly up-tempo stuff here, but Wicked Grin really knows how to get down too- Evil Coming Round is a real grinder, and one of the sexiest grooves ever on record…….

Stormy Water is an energetic set overall, the kind of blues you throw in the CD player when you need to get stuff done.  I can see putting this on when you’re doing some renos around the house, making the long drive into the big city, or even throwing back a few whiskeys and taking your woman into the bedroom to show her that you still know how it’s done……

Not much else to say here, really- Stormy Water is a sleeves-rolled-up rough and ready set of blues tunes that will make your Saturday night a hell of a lot more fun than it would have been otherwise.”

“I just received the newest release, Stormy Water, from Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin and it’s a great stripped down blues rocker…….this band knows how to boogie……By My Side is another solid rocker with a new wave touch but never falling far from it’s blues roots with blues based guitar riffs, blues harp and a blues bottom. Shine opens with a cool tom tom rhythm and almost John Doe like vocals. Kinsley definitely experiments with his guitar and Williams as well on harp with Melville nailing them to the ground solid. Very cool!……Evil Coming Round has a solid blues base with a modern flare and a solid rock feel (think Steppenwolf)……Kinsley’s vocals are heavy and his guitar work a lot in the early British blues masters style……Let Me Love You, with Williams on harp and Kinsley on vocal and slide. A full out driving rocker, this is a super closer to a super set!”

“….The very first song, “Dance Pretty Mama” had me hooked with its up-tempo sound; I couldn’t help but get into it. The album played on, and that didn’t change. When I hit the fifth song, “Evil Coming Round”, the thought that came to me was, “How have I not heard of this band before?”

“Fast Fast Car” and “You’re Gone” were my two favourites, and I would highly recommend them, along with the rest of the album to anyone looking for a completely amazing listening experience.”

…….The band playing is simply superb and judging by their blog, it seems one reason is that they had time to do the recording properly.
You couldn’t want for a better opening song than “Dance Pretty Woman”, if this doesn’t fill the dance floor nothing will …….
They deal with social issues as well, with aging the subject of “Death If You Find Me” featuring a double-tracked vocal & some fine harp work……..“Shine” is an ambitious slide-driven song that asks a beauty to shine her love on our narrator, the album highlight.

“On their third independent album in four years, the Ottawa blues band Wicked Grin stripped down their lineup, stretched out their lyrical ideas and refused to get stuck in the rut of 12-bar blues.
“When you’re working in blues, sometimes you can really get bogged down in ‘baby, baby, woke up this morning’ kinda stuff,” said bandleader Murray Kinsley, the sixtysomething musician whose gritty singing, songwriting and guitar-playing is at the heart of the group. “We feel that you can take it beyond there and actually say stuff. And because we’re not a straight-ahead blues band, it’s not your standard one-four-five music. We take it and make it our own.”
The evolution is evident on Stormy Water, reflected in songs that incorporate rock and roots elements, and lyrics that tackle hefty topics such as mortality and domestic violence. While there are also songs for dancing (Dance Pretty Mama) and riding in a cool car (Fast Fast Car, complete with the sound of a friend’s Ferrari), the meat of the new album can be found in the sting of the anti-abuse track By My Side, a tune that encourages the victim to leave, the swampy bite of Evil Coming Round and the dark urgency of Death if You Find Me.
Kinsley says the pointed thrust of his latest songwriting was partly inspired by his own aging process, but also by the stories one hears in the news.
“I was moved to explore domestic violence just from the fact that it still happens in our society,” he said during an interview in the home he shares with his partner, bassist Leigh-Anne Stanton, who also looks after the band’s management duties and (is thrilled to be in the running as this year’s bassist of the year in the Maple Blues Awards). “And I wanted to explore the idea of dying when I heard the Sleepy John Estes tune, Everybody Oughta Make a Change, because, like he says, sooner or later you’re going to go into the cold ground. I thought, ‘Wow, this fits in with what I’m thinking.’”
Mortality aside, the band has made great strides in the past couple of years.”