A FREE download of the new Sleepy Eyes Nelson album Empty Pockets. The album is a mix of Country Blues and some rare Lo-Fi country songs never heard before! The album was recorded by the Cheap Wine team live at Sleepy's home.
ALBUM REVIEW:
Scottish bluesman Sleepy Eyes Nelson has just released a brand new ten-song album titled "Empty Pockets" on his own Cheap Wine Records. Much like his very well-received 2011 release, "Where the Town Ends," "Empty Pockets" is a strong collection of expertly composed country blues songs which further go towards proving that Nelson is an artist deserving a good deal of respect. Indeed, he is not just a modern-day whiteboy picker imitating material from a style of music rich with both pre-war US history and African-American culture, he is the real deal, a true bluesman whose songs sound so genuine they seem to be arriving at our ears as if from a great distance in time, all the way from the birth of the blues.
Sleepy Eyes Nelson often gets lumped in with the one-man band scene, which is only so in the most bare-bones sense of the concept. That is to say, beyond intricate fingerpicking which involves percussive thumb work while hitting on fluid, well-chosen note combinations with the remainding digits of his picking hand, he sings and stomps his foot. No elaborate setup. No gimmicks. Just music. And that's what he brings to the table on his latest release.
Nelson's albums typically have a certain lo-fi quality somewhat similar to the old field recordings of early bluesmen and folk artists, and so too does "Empty Pockets." His vocals are clear and unaffected, and perfectly suited to country blues. And his guitar playing, which is done on a standard six-string acoustic and a resonator guitar in turns, is also suited to country blues, and it reveals a great deal of talent.
Out of the ten songs on "Empty Pockets" it is rather difficult to select a few favorites, since almost all of them are equally exceptional. Be that as it may, I definitely have to give mention to the same song in the video that accompanies this particular review, Things I Shouldn't Do, which may be my favorite on the album. In addition to that one I would also have to choose Waking Up Blues, Bad Luck Follows Me Around, Empty Pockets, Blues On My Mind.
If you are a fan of country blues and pure roots music, Sleepy Eyes Nelson will not disappoint in any way.
By James Carlson,
examiner.com