Charles King & Laura Lockie-The Second Half

Artist: Charles King & Laura Lockie
Title: The Second Half
Genre: Blues-Rock
Label: EKM

There is a feeling and atmosphere on this recording that I am forever yearning for, and old-fashioned recording session with good music. This is blues and rock played by a man with passion and his heart in the right place along with a soulful woman churning out the lyrics as if it were the last show on earth.

Charles King & Laura Lockie bring us The Second Half, 10 tracks of the blues, interpreted, as it should be. Nine of the ten tracks are originals by the duo. Tracks one through ten offers you straight up gems to absorb, and I certainly took it all in. I cannot say anything negative about any of the tracks, each one is something that caught my ear and deserved additional listens.

The very first track "Guilty" has a somber atmosphere hanging over it courtesy of some great organ music that provides a layer for the forlorn songstress to lay her vocals down on. This is da the blues baby, pure and simple and straight to the heart. The organ really does a nice job setting the tone as Lockie moans "I am guilty, guilty of luvin’ you," which segues into the equally emotional music time after time. The next track "Something Good" is ablaze with King’s mean slide guitar licks, he really knows how to hammer the point home with his six-string and again Lockie does it all justice with some soulful vocals. It doesn’t end there, more of the same keeps coming at you after the soft ballad "I’ll Have To Go" gives the heaviness of the heart some more weight to carry but the music gets kicked down a few notches to let you focus on the vocals of Lockie. "Human" picks up the pace again, and it shows more of the polished side of this blues band intermingled with some rhythm and blues peppered with a smidgen of pop. So within the first four tracks, you get the entire spectrum of the blues and from that point forward, they just keep giving it up for the pleasure of your ears, heart, and soul.

Lockie’s vocals are indeed a featured element here but King’s slide guitar does not take a back seat for one minute. Both performers get equal time and divvy it up democratically and it all falls right into place. It sure feels right when I listen to it. I get the feeling everyone that contributed to this recording felt the groove and knew something special was happening right from the start.

© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

January 21, 2007

01. Guilty (4:07)
02. Something Good (3:26)
03. I'll Have to Go (3:25)
04. Human (3:31)
05. The Second Half (4:56)
06. Simple Woman Blues (5:06)
07. Rhapsody (3:29)
08. What You Want (3:23)
09. I'll Remember You (4:06)
10. Baby What you Want Me to Do (3:51)