Friday, 31 December 2010
A glance at the cover of Dylan LeBlanc's Paupers Field reveals a bucolic scene that put me in mind if the Allman Brothers Band's Brothers and Sisters, though there's no Allman offspring in the foreground.
There's no Allman Brothers sound in the background either, although having spent his formative years around the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, there's obviously a fair bit of that deep south vibe that sits on the borders of country, soul and that old-style R&B in LeBlanc's background.
The album itself, which I bought on the basis of a Mojo review that concluded with the words Greatness beckons, sounds more or less exactly like you'd expect it to sound, given the fact that Mr LeBlanc credits Townes Van Zandt, Neil Young and Spooner Oldham as formative influences.
There's nothing earth-shattering about this album, but it works well enough to fit into a soundscape if you're one of those people who like their Neil Young in Harvest mode. Definitely worth a listen and I’ll be watching out for his next effort.