Luke Escombe - Skeleton Blues (2017)

Recorded live on to 2 inch tape at the legendary Damien Gerard studios in Sydney, this raw and revealing session combines the sound of primal electric blues with Luke’s distinctive wit and wordplay. The recording took place just 24 hours before the US election, and the tape reels capture the sense of foreboding. “Skeleton Blues” lays bare the key influences in Luke’s music. It includes covers of songs by Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, as well as two electrifying renditions of the old spirituals “O Death” and “John the Revelator”, a song Luke first heard performed by Son House on a live recording from the early 60s.

Although presenting a more serious side to his songwriting, there is still a healthy dose of Luke’s sly humour in first single “Punctuation Blues”, a track which combines a Lightnin Hopkins-inspired guitar groove with such lines as “punctuation is like making love/ you gotta know when to put it in”.

“Skeleton Blues” also shows Luke’s fascination with reaching back into history to offer new perspectives on the present. “The Lipsi” is a song about life in East Germany in the 1960s, while “William Blake” pays homage to the 18th century poet and visionary whose “illuminated books” spoke out against corruption and the rampages of the industrial revolution.

Meanwhile, previously released songs such as “21st Century Blues”, “Confidence”, “Axe in the House” and “Get in the Cool Room” take on a deeper meaning when stripped of their band backings. As the title of the record suggests, these are songs which have been cut down to their bare bones. There’s nothing here but electric guitar, stomp and that voice. John Shand of the Sydney Morning Herald once declared “Luke Escombe is an exceptional singer…his commanding voice carries echos of Dr John, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave, and Jim Morrison”.

TRACKLIST

01. Punctuation Blues
02. Confidence
03. John The Revelator
04. O Death
05. Axe In The House
06. 21st Century Blues
07. Man In The Long Black Coat
08. The Lipsi
09. The Wind Cries Mary
10. Get In The Cool Room
11. William Blake