You might remember Tom Blackwell's impeccable "Tyrone The Gun" from 2016. Based in Manchester at the time he sat alongside artists like DBH and Serious Sam Barrett - a new school of guitar wielding, singer-songwriters / finger pickers and dive bar troubadours that tell tales of now in that old time style. Following a relocated to the North-East, Tom's back with another self-released, fully-realized collection of love struck blues, country, bluegrass and folk. There's nods to Townes Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Gunn and of course, John Martyn; but Tom's conscious of adding his own signature to the annals of Working People's music. The harmonica, guitar, voice interplay is sublime and considered throughout; and with a pure recording process you definitely get the impression that you're sat in a bar with a nice bourbon listening to the star deliver these songs in an intimate, direct and truly heartfelt fashion. Another masterpiece!
'I wrote the songs that comprise ‘Regency Cafe’ largely between the late summer of 2014, and the autumn of 2015. It was a period that saw a sizeable shift in circumstance, submitting to settling down after years of far flung questing and dead ends. Whilst on marathon walks across my then home town of London, I would on occasion take a break from the melodies and words in my head and visit a bustling in the morning, derelict by afternoon spot in Pimlico called The Regency Cafe. It was here that this record seemed to live. With one exception, these are simply a collection of love songs that I took off the shelf between Christmas and New Year last December. Some blueish country and folk, an occasional nod to Sun era rock & roll. Primitively recorded at home with one microphone in a single take capturing voice and guitar; I added a few fuzzy headed embellishments the morning following a merry evening in Liverpool, before scrawling out the front cover sometime soon after. Nothing was overthought with this record, other than maybe for it be heard late at night, or before a new day strikes up in full voice.'
'I wrote the songs that comprise ‘Regency Cafe’ largely between the late summer of 2014, and the autumn of 2015. It was a period that saw a sizeable shift in circumstance, submitting to settling down after years of far flung questing and dead ends. Whilst on marathon walks across my then home town of London, I would on occasion take a break from the melodies and words in my head and visit a bustling in the morning, derelict by afternoon spot in Pimlico called The Regency Cafe. It was here that this record seemed to live. With one exception, these are simply a collection of love songs that I took off the shelf between Christmas and New Year last December. Some blueish country and folk, an occasional nod to Sun era rock & roll. Primitively recorded at home with one microphone in a single take capturing voice and guitar; I added a few fuzzy headed embellishments the morning following a merry evening in Liverpool, before scrawling out the front cover sometime soon after. Nothing was overthought with this record, other than maybe for it be heard late at night, or before a new day strikes up in full voice.'
TRACK LISTING
SIDE 1
1. Theme To Regency Cafe (0.53)
2. Not Pretending (2.50)
3. Tom Trouble (3.04)
4. Rosanna (2.55)
5. The Bee Back To The Hive (2.51)
6. 33 (3.32)
SIDE 2
1. Born & Bred (3.13)
2. Cannon & Ball (3.04)
3. Denim Eyes (4.16)
4. Kill Me With Kindness (3.07
5. Theme Reprise (0.55)
6. Regency Cafe (2.47