KEVIN SELFE
LONG WALK HOME
DELTA GROOVE MUSIC DGPCD 157
DUCT TAPE ON MY SOUL–MAMA DIDN’T RAISE NO FOOL–MOVING DAY BLUES–LAST CROSSROAD–DANCING GIRL–MIDNIGHT CREEPER–WALKING FUNNY–TOO MUCH VOODOO–SECOND BOX ON THE LEFT–THE BLUES IS MY HOME–PUT ME BACK IN JAIL
Kevin Selfe learned to play the guitar while studying meteorology at NC State. A roommate turned him on to the blues, and the career as a weatherman ended and one as a bluesman began. He was a finalist in Memphis at the 2002 IBC’s, and he formed his own group, Kevin Selfe and the Tornadoes, eventually relocating to Portland, OR, in 2007.
Over the last few years, Kevin and his band have become one of the hardest-working bands in the Northwest, and he’s parlayed that activity into his debut release for Delta Groove, “Long Walk Home.” There are eleven original cuts herein that give listeners the lowdown on just why Kevin is so popular. His knowledge of various styles of blues is what makes this set appealing to a wide spectrum of fans.
Check out the deep Delta slide work on “Midnight Creeper,” as well as the hellhound-on-my-tail boogie of “this is the Last Crossroad I’ll ever see,” and the haunting “Blues Is My Home.” Then, without missing a beat, the fellows shift gears into a serious T-Bone Walker mode with the uptown swing of “Walking Funny” and the tale of a man whose years of livin’ the blues have taken a hard toll, “Duct Tape On My Soul.’
That clever way with a lyric that Kevin has is what fueled our choice of favorites. Another swingin’ affair is a tongue-in-cheek look at the sorry state of today’s economy, “Second Box On The Left.” The slow burn of “Moving Day Blues” has piano from Gene Taylor while the set-closing “Put Me Back In Jail’ is an all-out rocker, with Kevin’s slide and Steve Kerin’s piano locked in together throughout.
With “Long Walk Home,’ Kevin Selfe is poised for the national recognition he so richly deserves, especially with his winning trifecta of great musicianship, clever lyrics, and a bluesy vocal style! Until next time….Sheryl and Don Crow.
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