http://www.johnceestannard.co.uk
Nothing too fancy just good old straight ahead honest as the day is long homely British folk blues. John Cee Stannard & Blues Horizon could just as easily have shared school studies with Chas & Dave such their loose, instant musical style. Decked out in chugging rhythm, harmonica, acoustic, electric and resonator guitar, banjo, violin, double bass, Hammond organ, mandolin, drums and harmony vocals Stannard and his band (Mike Baker; electric, acoustic guitar) and Howard Birchmore (harmonica) strike up a friendship with the listener from the off. Such is the material of their industrious leader and all-round performance of everyone aboard here is a friendship set to outlast most. Stannard though new to the blues game he has been performing music (folk) since the late 1960s, and to date has Stone Cold Sober and The Doob Doo Album and Bus Depot Blues and he's taken to the new genre in incredible fashion, like a duck to water.
Bustling “Rum Ol’ Do” with smart resonator guitar and Hammond organ licks to go with the usual harmonica and flowing beat “Stone Cold Sober” skip-along at a nifty rate of knots, and with the likes of earthy “Poverty Blues” banging on a few doors in the lower quarter a high benchmark is set. Followed closely by melancholy ode “Worse Off Than You” and sweet as a nut “Dream The Blues” as John Cee (& band) show sufficient variety to ensure there's no dip in attraction.
Others of note on only the boys second recording you have swing plied “This Rag Of Mine” and with delicious fiddle, harmony vocals (Nicole Johnson), harp and chugging rhythm revealing composition “The Story” slides home in effortless fashion. Nice work everyone…! One couldn't ask for a more easy accomplished listen.
Maurice Hope