Geoff Achison & The Souldiggers 2001 Souldiggin' In The UK

Genre: Blues
Rate: 204 kbps VBR / 44100
Time: 01:04:08
Size: 106,09 MB



The reputation of Antipodean Geoff Achison continues to grow, and will be further enhanced by his latest (live) album. "Souldiggin' In The UK" showcases both sides of the man's talents as a guitarist: the first five tracks are solo acoustic performances, whilst the last six are electric band recordings. For the latter he is joined by the ace rhythm section of Sam Kelly (drums) and Dave Clark (bass), who together with Dave Lennox (keyboards) made up the Souldiggers for Achison's latest tour.

It all starts with the tale of lost love that is "He's Got A Way With Women," before moving on to the only original track here ("Begging Bowl") which hints at his talents as a songwriter. Achison's acoustic guitar playing is firmly rooted in the blues, but contains elements that seem to derive from flamenco as much as anything else. He uses this to great effect on the first half of the album to inject passages of extra intensity and passion into the songs. Add in Achison's soulful vocals, and you get some idea of how he can take on songs like the Neville Brother's "Voodoo"--the pick of the acoustic tracks--and Greg Allman's "Whipping Post" and make them work as acoustic songs.

When he is joined by the Souldiggers for the electric tracks things get a bit more funky. On the first of these (Mel London's "Sugar Sweet") Lennox's keyboards impart a distinct Neville Brothers feel to the band's sound, which carries over to some of the other tracks too. Although all of the tracks are covers, they are arranged by Achison in such as way as to make them sound fresh and original, whilst still remaining true to the original song. His interpretation of "The Same Thing," for example, is reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix at his bluesiest. The pick of the electric tracks is the excellent closing version of Champion Jack Dupree's "24 Hours," which includes some musical jousting between Achison and Lennox. On this one Achison shows that he is more than capable of cutting it like SRV anytime he wants to.

"Souldiggin' In The UK" has to be one of the best live albums released this year. Geoff Achison is undoubtedly a class act: a singer/guitarist who is equally at home playing solo, or with a band, and who has his own identifiable sound. (This review is copyright by Gordon Baxter and Blues On Stage)



Tracklist:

01 - He's Got A Way With Women 02:34



02 - Begging Bowl 05:01

03 - Voodoo 05:25

04 - Castles Made Of Sand 04:44

05 - Whipping Post 07:39

06 - Sugar Sweet 06:44

07 - The Same Thing 05:51

08 - Walking Blues 05:50

09 - Little By Little 06:09



10 - Lucille 05:48

11 - 24 Hours 08:23





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Geoff Achison & The Souldiggers 2007 Souldiggin'

Genre: Blues
Rate: 192 kbps VBR / 44100
Time: 01:08:59
Size: 98,64 MB



An exciting and energetic live performance recorded at their long standing St Andrews Hotel residency in Melbourne, Australia. Geoff Achison has a reputation as a guitarist’s guitarist. Having taught himself to play in the isolation of rural Australia, he has developed a blues/funk style all his own that can be delicate one moment and explosive the next. Unaware of how the sounds he was hearing on his limited record collection were produced, he invented some of his own techniques - without the aid of pedals or gadgets. As a result, watching this guy wrench sounds from his simple set-up can be something of a spectacle.

Geoff also possesses a soulful voice that has evoked favorable comparisons to Joe Cocker or Warren Haynes. An award winning songwriter to boot, Geoff’s live set features an infectious mix of catchy original tunes, improvised jamming and inspired versions of blues & soul classics. As heard here, the live show is a dizzying experience! (http://www.homegrownmusic.net)



Tracklist:

01 - Tell Me Something I Don't Know 06:16

02 - Kerry Lou 07:23



03 - Take What You Can Get 07:17

04 - Sugar Sweet 06:50

05 - Reason To Live 08:53

06 - Stepping Stones 10:36

07 - Hotel 06:33

08 - If The Washing Don't Get You The Rinsing Will 08:26

09 - Overtime 06:45







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Geoff Achison & The Souldiggers 1998 Gettin' Evil

Genre: Blues
Rate: 128 kbps CBR / 44100
Time: 00:49:23
Size: 45,13 MB



Australia has produced several talented blues guitar players. Those that have come to be known by the regulars here at Electric Blues include Dave Hole, Rob Tognoni, Mal Eastick and Gwyn Ashton. I'd also like to add Geoff Achison to that list. Geoff is a fine guitarist, singer and songwriter. Geoff's band, the Souldiggers, provide solid backing for the wide variety of styles Geoff leads them through on this disc.

"Gettin' Evil" is a primarily Blues-Rock oriented CD that is composed nearly exclusively of originals (one cover tune) and features a respectable amount of guitar. Geoff's playing style is not overly aggressive, but has more than enough bite to satisfy those of us that require substantial guitar with our blues. This is not power blues, but more along the lines of a slick, tasty blend of electric blues and blues-rock. Both vocally and instrumentally, Geoff's sound is crisp and original. Of course there are always the subtle hints to a bluesman's predicessors, but Geoff's sound is largely his own.

The CD opens with two of the sets strongest songs, leading off with "Comin'ta Getcha", an upbeat Blues-Rock tune that allows Geoff to give the listener an early listen to his playing style. Next up is "Be Careful What You Wish For", a medium paced blues song that is one of my favorites of the set. From there Geoff explores subtle various of Blues-Rock by mixing in a little soul, a little jazz, a little rock, a little pop, and a little who knows what else. Many of his songs are a little hard for me to classify, one such song being the heavily rhythmic dominated title cut "Gettin' Evil".

One of the more pleasant surprises for me was the acoustic song "Don't Play Guitar Boy". I'm not normally a big fan of acoustic tunes, and often deduct points if they are not extremely well done. However, this one did not result in any penalties. It is a very enjoyable acoustic romp with interesting lyrics. It is in fact, another of my favorites from the disc. There is only one other acoustic song, Geoff's cover of "End of the Line". It didn't hold my interest quite as well as "Don't Play Guitar Boy", but it's not bad either.

As a Blues-Rock CD, I would classify it slightly on the lighter side of the scale. "Gettin' Evil" is not a no-holds-barred barn burner. Nor is it a totally laid-back, mellow affair. As I mentioned earlier, it's a little hard to classify but overall it's closer to Blues-Rock than anything else. Geoff's playing is excellent throughout, and his vocals are considerably above average. Most blues guitar fans will find enough quality work here to consider this a worthy blues guitar oriented CD. Quality songwriting and a strong backing backing band round things out nicely. (http://www.electricblues.com/)



Tracklist:

01 - Comin' Ta Getcha 03:25


02 - Be Careful What You Wish For 03:33

03 - Tell Me Something I Don't Know 03:32

04 - Gettin' Evil 04:05

05 - Jungle 05:12

06 - Adam And Eve 04:08

07 - Help Yourself 05:08

08 - Hotel Room 03:31

09 - Natch'l Fact 03:27

10 - Don't Play Guitar Boy 03:09


11 - Take What You Can Get 03:56

12 - Overtime 03:42

13 - End Of The Line 02:35





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