06 April 2017

Musiczine France hypnotic rhythmic review “10,000 Feet below”

“Eliza Neals is a very dynamic artist. This singer / keyboardist / composer has already won several awards, in the areas of ‘Blues / R & B’ but also ‘Rock / Pop’. She drives her own band, The Narcotics. But like her previous album, “Breaking and Entering“, to record “10,000 feet below”, she received the support of many friends: scratchers, bass players and drummers. First among them is her loyal partner, Howard Glazer, a notorious guitarist …

It is by sounds treated with the bottleneck by Glazer, but overdubbées, that opens “Cleotus”, a beach sung in a voice a little sensual by Miss Neals. This duo coins the very inspired and majestic “Another lifetime“, a slow blues first. Howard strings are ubiquitous and ideally support Eliza’s scratched timbre. The hypnotic rhythmic printed by Skeeto Valdez‘s drumming and the scratch riffs mark “Burn the tent down“, a rockin ‘blues well percussion. Our blonde vocalist grows nervous cries before totally freeing himself. She starts the master title a Capella. Acoustic strings then enter the dance, before Howard comes to inlay strings of incisive and biting notes. Printed on a mid tempo, “You ain’t my dog no more” is of great quality. The vocal tone is skinned, the slide, offensive, imperious and metallic. And in the middle of this tornado, “Cold cold night” finds a little quietude. A haven of peace. An indolent ballad during which the voice is emphasized by the acoustic strings of Paul Nelson (he worked in the backing group of Johnny Winter), invited for the circumstance. Sitting behind her piano, Eliza interprets in a deep voice, “Hard killing floor“, a beach imprint of softness. Glazer’s guitar approaches and then settles down, causing a feeling of discomfort before igniting. “Call me Moonshine” also evolves on a mid tempo. Miss Neals devotes herself to the microphone and concentrates on her Hammond organ, while Howard is no longer in place. He crushes his pedals in the manner of Jimi Hendrix at the top of his art! And this legend still haunts “Merle Dixon“. Twisted, mistreated, spitting out a lot of incandescent embers, the strings are trafficked to the extreme. Roots, “Downhill on a rocket” releases strange flavors. Tongued by little strident screams given by the guitar, the voice mustards and doubles to infinity. “At the Crossroads” is a serene ballad emphasized by the aerial voice and maintained by the piano chords as well as the guitar with melodic accents, guitar that Billy Davis reserves (worked with Hank Ballard and Jimi Hendrix, a long time ago). The best opus of Eliza Neals, to date!