"It's Alright" by Stone Bear
Review
After a run of Stone Bear releases which were effectively solo releases by David John, you'll be pleased to hear that he's managed to get into the studio with Jeff Dennis again for a full band (if that's not stretching it a bit for a duo) recording which they've now released called "It's Alright". And so it is.
The recent singles/EPs have been gentler affairs: the last being purely instrumentals & as such contrasted effectively with the powerful sound with which the group first gained attention. "It's Alright" is by no means a full blooded return to that more visceral approach. Rather it is a prime example of the pastoral, country blues which they had already moved towards some years ago: beautiful, haunting melody where the two insert space as much as they do notes to get the effect they want. Jeff may be back (he's been very busy growing his family & Skabilly Rebelling) but he's brought his brushes with him this time & complements David's guitar playing & singing with immaculate taste of the "less is more variety".
Classy stuff: really plunging back into the true heart of the blues & reminding us that the genre is really about emotion as much (if not more) than any musical conventions or techniques. This will melt your heart.
