The 2.19
Revelator
Self-Released
A Modern Twist on Classic Blues From Chicago and London But Straight Out of Belfast.
Never mind being entitle REVELATOR this album has been something of a revelation this week.
If you don’t live in Northern Ireland you are unlikely to have heard of The 2.19 or its constituent parts; but it’s quite obvious from the first track Revelator, that the band is made up of road wise musicians who play what they love; and love what they play ….. Blues Rock with the emphasis on Blues; which isn’t always the case with bands these days.
Made up of a bunch of friends who have played in a myriad of other bands over the years which means The 2.19 certainly know how to play the Blues of the Chicago and British variety with comfort and class.
Probably only destined to be sold at gigs, this album actually holds some truly diamond encrusted tracks that could easily have graced albums by the Superstars that came out of the British Blues Boom in the late 60’s; yet somehow don’t sound dated at all.
While most Blues Rock albums I receive these days are really Heavy Rockers paying lip service to what we know as the Blues, The 2.19 seem to spark off a variety of influences from the last 50 years to create a sound that is actually quite distinctive and very varied.
While REVELATOR kicks off with a short series of electric Blues; they quickly through a curve ball inclusion of some cool acoustic tracks, that recall memories of first hearing Led Zeppelin and Free; with No Time to Bleed, All Kinds of Evil and the jaunty One Way Ride being outstanding for a band with no record label behind them.
Like all bands since time immemorial, The 2.19 revolve around the singer and here Chris Chalmers has some pitch perfect leathery vocals; but twin guitarists Paul Wilkinson and Ady Young show their combined class on the slow and sleazy pair of All Kinds of Evil and Bad Blood; which will send a shiver down your back.
No Blues band is worth the name without a great back line on drums and bass; and here Monty Sneddon and Marty Young provide a subtle yet powerful backdrop for the songs to develop and Cummings to lead the line valiantly, no matter how slow or fast the song is.
Plus, no Blues album is complete without some soulful harmonica; and here the occasional inclusion of Andrei Marinescu on said instrument really adds a touch of class that I wasn’t expecting.
Personally I love the way the band use light and shade, not just in the songs themselves but the order in which they come on the album, which will no doubt make for a great night out when they finally get to play this album in its entirety on stage.
For my choice of Favourite Track it’s a toss up between the slow burning Led Zeppelin/Big Bill Broonzy hybrid Black Dog Moan and the album closer Old Days Coming Back, which tips its hat into John Martyn and the forgotten slower side of Free territory; plus the grizzled and almost demonic vocals at the end are pure Alex Harvey, who I always loved.
While I’ve mentioned their obvious influences here; be in no doubt The 2.19 are very much a shiny new band in their own rite; and while their combined ages probably preclude them from World Domination; there’s a very lucrative Festival circuit around Europe that can only benefit from their inclusion.
Released November 2021
https://www.facebook.com/The219band/
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The Rocking Magpie 