First listen to Mississippi man’s debut EP The Snake Oil Salesman will clear up any doubts of how five west coast kids from L.A. came to be called Mississippi Man. The album is infused with the feel of old time southern blues both in melody and tone as the band reaches deep into the storied south to pull inspiration.
The album starts with a ghostly carnival melody above the atmospheric hiss of an old record. The nostalgia quickly ends as the band enters and the ghostly melody transforms into a quick toe tapping swing accented by the shrill but melodic voice that drips into the music with grace.
Bonjour Le Monde, the second track, is reminiscent of bands like the Cold War Kids, where as the Jester sounds like a lost Beatles tracks. Yet despite the familiarity Mississippi Man creates a unique and enjoyable sound that carries through the entire EP.
The strongest track on the album, ricochet, plays like The Bands Long Black Veil. It is a slow story driven song that could easily cause spontaneous barroom sing alongs.
The last track on the EP is a wonderfully executed, and beautifully written heart felt song about war. It is a simple song that showcases all of the bands talents. The music is sparse at first, but slowly all of the elements are added. The unique voice that for this song, restrains itself to be a quiet storyteller, the simple but steady percussion, the piano, the bass, and then it all disappears as the band uses broken glass, clapping, and their voices to transition the song into a new phase. The song ups the tempo and a graceful and quotable solo brings the album to an end.
Performer Magazine
Mississippi Man – Myspace
When The Devil’s Loose
Water Valley, MS
Tracks 2-9 recorded by Bruce Watson at Money Shot Studio in Water Valley, MS
Tracks 1 and 10 recorded in New Paltz, NY by Jeremy “Searcher” Backhofen
When The Devil’s Loose is an album that sneaks up on you. It is a quiet album, and A.A. Bondy’s voice never gets above a polite conversational tone. But it doesn’t need too. The lyrics are passionate, poignant, and powerful, hitting a personal chord that is uncommon among most modern music, and this is what will, and does set A.A. Bondy apart from the rest.
The song structure for most of the album is quite straight forward and simple. The songs are not cluttered with a lot of unneeded instrumentation. Many songs are just the guitar, some light percussion, and a soulful voice which holds the focus and attention of the listener.
“To The Morning,” the fourth track on When The Devil’s Loose, is as sparse as a song with pop appeal can get. The song is based around a simple four note riff that hides behind a mournful voice. When the voice disappears, and the percussion kicks in, a melodic and thought out solo demonstrates, briefly, A.A. Bondy’s musical abilities. But soon thereafter the percussion drops out to a simple heartbeat rhythm, and the focus remains the beautiful lyrics.
The most folk driven song of the album “Oh The Vampyre” is a simple tune complete with alternating bass line and a twangy electric guitar. A.A. Bondy gets no help in this song from percussion, or atmospheric noise. Instead, this song demonstrates the songwriter in his most natural form. The guitar, the voice, and the story.
When The Devil’s Loose is a prime example of a songwriter’s talent. A.A. Bondy’s music is simple but provocative, sad but beautiful, and thoroughly enjoyable the whole way through.
www.myspace.com/aabondy
Performer Magazine
