Trampled Under Foot – Wrong Side of the Blues 6.10.11
Chip Eagle | Jun 09, 2011 | Comments 1
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Trampled Under Foot
Wrong Side of the Blues
VizzTone label group
BluesWax Rating: 10
Sibling Revelry
Trampled Under Foot, the sibling trio from Kansas City who has been wowing the blues circuit crowd the past few years, has topped themselves yet again. The band consists of Nick Schnebelen (guitar), Danielle Schnebelen (bass), and Kris Schnebelen (drums). Not only are they all experts of their instruments, they also possess great chops in the singing department. All the aforementioned, when rolled up with great original songs, makes Wrong Side of the Blues the hottest blues album I have heard this year.
Danielle has such a great voice for the blues. It’s got just a tiny bit of raspiness to it and a great range. When she belts out a song the way she does on the title track “Wrong Side of the Blues” I think of the way Bonnie Raitt blew us all away with her Nick of Time album. (Is is a coincidence that Raitt’s drummer from that period, Tony Braunagel, produced this new release?) The high-energy track “Get It Straight” is highly enjoyable and a fitting choice for the first cut. But to really experience the true power of her voice, listen to “Goodbye.” This one is slow, sad, emotional, and heartfelt.
There is no denying you’re in Bluesville when you hear Wrong Side of the Blues. “She’s Long, She’s Tall, She’s Gone,” a killer song, features Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds on harmonica. Nick’s guitar playing on “The Fool” reminds me a bit of the late great R.L. Burnside. Mike Finnigan contributes to this one on the organ, in a Booker T. kind of way. A nice little surprise, “Evil Train” is a haunting ballad featuring Johnny Lee Schell on the cigar box guitar. It‘s a bit reminiscent of the songs from Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads album. It’s quite nice.
Powerful and electric, this is the CD to beat for anyone in the running for Best Blues Album of the Year.
Disclosure: The Vizztone label group is partially owned by this publication’s parent company.
Phillip Smith is a contributing writer to BluesWax. You may reach him by commenting below.
Filed Under: BluesWax Weekly • This Week's BluesWax • Weekly CD Reviews
About the Author:
I live in KC and have heard TUF live for years. They only get better. Danielle has a wonderfully powerful voice and she truly feels it deep down in her soul. Nick is one of the best guitar players around and Chris dominates on the drums. They have such a big sound for a three piece band. If you ever get a chance to see them live do it. You won’t be disappointed.