Otis Gibbs

I reviewed Otis Gibbs ‘Joe Hill’s Ashes’ a while back and his deep, raw and dark voice seemed to hit a spark in my soul because the album hasn’t been far away from my player since it arrived. His new one is instantly recognisable and is well up with anything he has done before.
This time around he is with some excellent co-players in Thomm Jutz on guitar, Mark Fain – bass, Paul Griffith on drums and additional vocals from Amy Lashley but it is, from the first line of ‘Never Enough’, when ‘that’ voice pleads “When your time runs out and your long list of plans fall down – who’ll stand by you?”, to the last notes of ‘Blues For Mackensie’ clearly an Otis Gibbs album and that is a good, good thing.
He sings from his heart and on songs like ‘Broke And Restless’ or ‘Don’t Worry Kid’ you can hear tenderness as well as the darkness and that makes ‘Big Whiskers’ a lot of a surprise as he sings like Johnny Cash about ‘The biggest Cat that has never been caught’ – catfish that is! It actually works brilliantly and puts quite a smile on the tone of the album.
The most monumental number on the album is probably ‘Christ Number Three’ but he manages a lighter tone on the other numbers here and it is a less harrowing experience than ‘Joe Hill’s Ashes’.
He is superb and since he will be touring this summer I shall be making a point of catching him at some point.

06/24/12 Belfast, Nortern Ireland
The Open House Festival UK
www.openhousefestival.com
06/25/12 Ballymore Eustace Co. Kildare, Ireland Mick Murphy’s IE
+353 (0)86 3270780 or +353 (0)45 864161
06/26/12 Dublin, Ireland
Upstairs At Whelan’s IE
http://www.musiclee.ie/
06/28/12 Clonakilty (West Cork), Ireland
De Barras
IE
Venue phone: 023 8833381.BUY TICKETS
06/29/12 Kilkenny, Ireland
Cleere’s
IE
Venue phone: +353 5 6 7762573.+353 5 6 7763669
06/30/12 Easton, England
Maverick Festival UK
Address: Easton Farm Park, Easton, Woodbridge IP13 0EQ.

07/02/12 Bristol, England
The Hen & Chicken UK

07/04/12 Brighton, England
Prince Albert UK
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/153246
07/05/12 London, England
The Boogaloo UK

07/06/12 Tingewick (near Buckingham, England Tingewick Village Hall UK
Venue phone: 01296 748268.http://www.empty-rooms.com/
07/07/12 Broseley (Shropshire), England
The Birchmeadow Community Centre UK
Box office: 07890 057832.
07/08/12 Cottingham, England (East Yorkshire) The Back Room UK
Venue phone: 01482 847007.
07/10/12 Manchester, England
2022nq US
0161 761 2216 2022nq.com
07/11/12 Sheffield, England
The Greystones UK
Box office: 0114 266 5599.www.wagonwheelmedia.co.uk www.mygreystones.co.uk www.wegottickets.com
07/12/12 Wakefield, England
Henry Boons UK
Box office: 01924 378126.https://www.facebook.com/groups/ontheride
07/13/12 Newcastle, England
The Cluny 2 UK
Box office: 0191 230 4474.http://www.jumpinhot.com/
07/14/12 Sevenoaks, England
The Stag Community Centre UK
Box office: 01732 450175.www.brandywinemusic.co.uk www.stagsevenoaks.co.uk
07/15/12 Dorset, England
Larmer Tree Festival UK
The festival is held at the Larmer Tree Gardens, on the Wiltshire/Dorset border, just off the A354 between Salisbury and Blandford, OS Ref ST940170.
07/18/12 Bury, England
The Met UK
Box office: 0161 761 2216.
07/19/12 Nottingham, England
The Maze
UK
Venue phone: 0115 947 5650.