Howell Devine - Howl (2017)

".a real King Biscuit Time vibe in sound, groove, and attitude. Joshua Howell, the band's guitarist and harmonica player, plays wicked harp loosely in the Rice Miller tradition, with traces of Jaybird Coleman and Little Walter. emotive, straight blues, with sharp and superb guitar sliding & picking. they are wild, juxtaposing interesting syncopations and jazz beats. Drummer Pete Devine and contrabassist Joe Kyle Jr. are in their own dynamic creative realm, approaching the rhythm in a free, almost avant-garde way-a contrast that gives the ensemble an idiosyncratic edge. apparently, nobody showed the rhythm section the playbook."~ Frank Mathias, Living Blues
This is the blues trio's fourth album, which finds the band recharging their mojo with an expansive array of material. They're still tending the roots, like on the incantatory version of R. L. Burnside's 'Going Down South. ' But they uncover a rich and untapped corner of the weird, old America with 'Boat's Up the River. ' With Greaseland Studios' mastermind Kid Andersen sitting in on B-3, the band offers some early 1960s juke box funk with 'Sookie Sookie. ' On the album's most surprising track, Andersen returns to the organ for an irresistible take on The Meters' 'Funky Miracle. ' Each piece suggests new directions this band can roam, right up to the closing, saxophone-powered 'PM Blues.'