Review: Stomping Nick

Stomping Nick And His Blues Grenade - Punk Blues One Man Band (Independent)
There’s an impressive line-up of the Blues Grenade listed on the sleeve of New Zealander Stomping Nick Jackman’s debut: Right Hand (rhythm); Left Hand (lead); Right Foot (bass drum); Left Foot (snare/hi-hat). Yes, it’s the old one-man band ploy; yes, we’ve seen it before; and yes, it does generally spell out a recipe for disaster. In this case, however, it wouldn’t pay to be too hasty since it turns out the boy knows what he’s doing. Ignore the ‘punk blues’ tag (that’s been widely used by talentless idiots and wholly discredited as a result); listen to the roots instead and you’ll hear pounding rhythms, searing blasts of harmonica, and a gutsy roar that reach back decades beyond the last fad.

In fact, this committed attempt to capture some real primal blues serves as a timely reminder of the long and noble tradition of itinerant performers such as Dr. Ross bringing a full band sound to the dance hall at affordable prices. ‘Word Gets Around’, ‘Black Betty’ and ‘Sewer Man’ are well worth checking out (the latter pair can be found on YouTube); ‘I’m Not the One’ on the other hand might be trying a little too hard. The album as a whole suggests a promising future, probably made more likely if Nick stops presenting himself as a novelty and stakes a claim to being the real deal.
www.stompingnick.com
Neil B.