LAZY EYE
POCKET THE BLACK
LIVE AT CHAPEL LANE
KEEPIN’ FROM LOVIN’–POCKET THE BLACK–BACK THE WAY I CAME–LET ME DOWN EASY–MUCHO JALAPENO–SHACK O’ MINE–DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS–TREAT YOUR LOVER RIGHT–IT AIN’T RIGHT–SWING FOR MARZ
The Lazy Eye Band hail from waaaayyy down under in South Australia, and the Hammond B-3-led trio follows a delightful trend of recent releases from similar players including John Ginty, The Starlite Campbell Band, and Jams Hunter, all of whom use the keys as an integral part of their signature sound. Evan Whetter is on vocals, organ, and harp, Erica Graf is on guitar, and Mario Marino is on drums, and both handle backing vocals. The ten-cut album is entitled “Pocket The Black,” and was recorded “live,” if you will, in front of a select few fans in the Chapel Lane Studios in Adelaide.
They begin with Erica setting up a loping groove, as Evan brings the B-3 into the fray over his vocal on “Keepin’ From Lovin You.” The title cut has everyone in a jazzy mode with this tune’s not to billiards, as “you looked me in the eye and Pocket The Black,” while “Mucho Jalapeno” is a breezy, light instrumental.
Everybody gets their slow-groove on with Evan begging the musical question, “Do You Know How It Feels to miss the one you love,?” and again with a request of a lover to “Let Me Down Easy, baby, let me down nice!”
We had two favorites, too. You gotta love that infectious Diddley-beat that drives the story of that “little wooden Shack O’ Mine!” And, Erica on acoustic guitar with Evan on harp take a ten-thousand mile journey down to the Delta for the sweet country-blues of a song that is sage advice for us all, “Treat Your Lover Right.”
Lazy Eye and “Pocket The Black” won the 2016 Album of the Year award in the Adelaide Roots And Blues Association, and is nominated for the same award in the 2017 Australian Blues Music Awards. They’ve got serious style and class, and really play the blues with a feeling! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow.
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