Geoff Achison & the SoulDiggers – Little Big Men (remastered) 2012 Jupiter 2 Records by Benvee
The first time I listened to this CD, I thought Geoff Achison had to be from Macon, Georgia or Muscle Shoals, Alabama…..a southern boy who had grown up playing the blues and southern rock. As it turns out, he is from the deep south…as in below the equator…down under….southeastern Australia!! And what an album this is! Kudos to Jupiter 2 records for remastering the original 2005 Australian record and adding three additional songs.
To me this is a great mood album. It drips the blues with a sultry funky beat. Geoff’s voice is a mix of Warren Haynes and Greg Allman and his guitar playing is blues at its best. The tandem of the music and his vocals make a perfect album for an evening with someone special, a good red wine and steaks on the grill. Don’t get me wrong, it is not a “love” album. Geoff is a gifted songwriter and the tunes run the gamut from “Crazy Horse” and the plight of the American Indian to “Never Give it up” that evokes the struggles of Martin Luther King. What makes the album work as a whole is the sexy rhythms and some absolutely masterful guitar playing. Geoff never tries to overpower the tunes with his guitar licks and he has that knack for hitting the right notes at the perfect time to compliment the other musicians on each cut. Like BB King, he can make a guitar sing the blues. But you never get the impression that this is a blues guitar album; it is the combined work of a very skilled group of SoulDiggers.
Overall, I loved this album and it got better on a second and then a third listen. So, purchase “Little Big Men – Remastered”. Then grab your cellphone and give that special someone a call for dinner. Meet them at the door with a glass of wine and the CD playing in a dim lit living room replete with candles, appetizers, and plenty of room to stretch out. The music and the great lyrics, brimming with social awareness and taste, should complete the scene….just don’t burn the steaks!!! Bon appetit!
Ben Vee is a project management consultant by day and blues lover and internet Dj by night. He started out as a broadcast and club DJ in the 1970s and also worked for a concert promotion company booking acts throughout the southeastern United States. (benvee@60minuten.net)
