The Dutchess & the Duke – She’s the Dutchess, He’s the Duke
These chaps were introduced to me by my friend DC who does The Waiting Room radio show on WOXY. I’ve been slow to review it for some reason, more to do with the backlog in my ‘to listen’ folder than the quality of the album.
It didn’t quite grab me immediately, I have to confess, but I think that’s because I tend to listen to things at quite a rate these days and the first time I heard it thought ‘ah, scruffy acoustic blues rock’ and possibly ceased to pay proper attention. The most obvious way to describe this, I think, would be to make a couple of quick and easy (or lazy) comparisons: an acoustic version of the early era Stones style or, alternatively, a garage blues band who left their amps behind and who harbour a sneaking admiration for Phil Spector.
It’s pretty successful though, I have to say. The boy/girl harmonies and extremely loose playing style work well together, and the occasionally wonky additional instruments add a fine helping of charm. I still think there’s a little work to be done to break away from the constraints of what is a very familiar style, but I am not sure if it is the band or myself who has most need to break away from their assumptions. Whatever way you cut the cake, though, I must say there is a lot of real promise here. I look forward to hearing what they get up to in future.
The Dutchess & the Duke – You Can Tell the Truth, Now
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The Dutchess & the Duke – Ship Made of Stone
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