Review From The Rocking Magpie

Kenny ‘Beedy Eyes’ Smith
Drop The Hammer
Big Eye Records

Cool Contemporary Blues & Soul With a Hearty Nod to The Past.

Oooohhhheeee!
To some degree is all you need to know about this collection of Modern and contemporary Blues songs sung and written by Grammy Award-winning drummer Kenny ‘Beedy Eyes’ Smith.
What the Hell’s not to like right from the beginning, as a bottle-neck guitar AND sitar precede Smith’s ‘tattered velvet’ drawl that is so authentic I swear you can smell the swamps, sweat, and sexual tension throughout every single second.
For a man whose Father Willie sat at the back of the stage keeping time with the legendary Muddy Waters for 18 years; Kenny Smith certainly has something to say himself, and he has an eclectic way of saying it too; pulling various aspects of the Blues and Soul together into a glorious Gumbo that will have you dancing, smiling, crying and punching the air in equal measure; and one song especially, What In the World ticks each and every one of those boxes btw.
Scratchin’ Your Head is a smooth and accessible love song that rolls around a cool Hammond groove and a wailing harmonica, but Smith can get low down and seedy too with the slow sashay of Living Fast, and on No Need Brother Greg Guy really does make his guitar gently weep on a Soul squeezing slice of late-night Southside of Chicago Blues Deluxe.
Don’t be afraid when I say that these are ‘Modern Blues Songs,’ they most certainly are in every aspect; but Smith and The House Bumpers know their musical heritage so, so very well and use that history to great effect on the funklicious Puppet on a String and glorious title track Drop The Hammer, which combines Blues, Soul and a smidgen of Jazz to create something really special indeed.
The album closes on a fascinating note; and a Blue Note at that, with the instrumental Moment of Silence, which lasts 5 minutes 17 here; but went by in the blink of an eye and had the spine to go on for an hour or more when played live and not a single person would ever complain.
I’m actually selecting two very different songs as joint ‘Favourites’ here; the rinky-dinky Second Hand Woman, which is 4 minutes of rolling Blues straight outta some Mississippi Juke Joint; but polished and shined until it’s fit for a concert Hall somewhere uptown, and the other is a first for me, I think. I select Favourite Songs’ for a million different reasons in the course of a year, and I don’t think I’ve ever gone for a song that combines both ‘twee’ and ‘class’ the way Hey Daddy does. Obviously, it’s a ‘Love Song’ at heart; but a slick one as Kenny sings not just for, but with his three kids, Mae, Clara, and Teddy, who provide ace backing vocals on the chorus.
Who knew a drummer could be so sensitive, soulful, and sensual in not just his singing, but most of all in his songwriting too? Kenny ‘Beedy Eyes’ Smith is the real deal, and I believe that this album has the ability to whisk him from the shadows and put him permanently in the spotlight.