Red Dirt Skinners

Fresh from a very closely contested second place in the British Blues Awards (Best Instrumentalist) and nominated for the ‘Horizon act of the year’ and ‘Peoples Choice’ in the British Country Music Awards – results shortly – I am slightly surprised to find that this is Red Dirt Skinners third album and none of the major labels have yet picked up on a very fine pair of musicians.

Every thing about the album shouts ‘Quality’ from the playing and the harmonies to the atmospheric production and the perfectly chosen songs.

The band encompass Blues, Bluegrass, folk and country in their varied repertoire but they don’t stay within any of those genres, using them as they best fit and so the results aren’t in any way ‘comfortable’ but rather they require some listening on the part of the listener – all to the good in my opinion because I don’t need wallpaper music.

The album kicks off with harmonies from Sarah and Rob but the first shock comes when Sarah’s sax solo kicks in – dirty and funky and while it suits the music it isn’t what you’d expect.
On ‘Browns Ferry Blues’ – one of the two covers here, this by The Delmore Brothers - they are in Appalachian Bluegrass territory with some sublime banjo and harmonica and that is followed by the haunting ‘Alone’ and ‘Just 18’ with Sarah on lead vocals – the versatility here is remarkable.
The second cover is ‘Idabel Blues’ which puts them into a crossover Bluegrass and Klezmer place that somehow works with Rob’s banjo underpinning Sarah’s soprano sax and a fast pace driving it along brilliantly.
The whole album feels like a collection of songs that could make up a live set – there is nothing here that feels manufactured or auto-tuned – and I would dearly love to see them do ‘Stillwater’ live – virtually acapella and with sumptuous harmonies.
The album closes with ‘Not The Mary Rose’ – one of the dirtiest tracks I’ve heard in a while and a great closer.

Sarah Skinner tells a story about a guy who talked to her after a gig and told her he loved their music but he couldn’t buy her album because it was too country and his collection was only Blues. He was an idiot but this album does struggle to fit into anyone’s pigeonhole and I like that – just file it under ‘Excellent’


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