Barrence Whitfield & The Savages are a soul, rock and R&B band, playing in the 1980’s and 90’s. Famous for his energetic performances, Whitfield has been described as a “soul screamer”. Now, they’ve released a new album, titled ‘Under the Savage Sky’ with Bloodshot Records – and it’s an explosive mix of soul, blues, rockabilly and, depending on where you stand on the subject, punk. Whitfield was quoted as saying the album is “giving the kids a musical karate chop to the head”, and it’s hard to argue with him.
As a whole, the album is very blues and soul based, with influences seeming to range from mid-1960’s garage rock to 90’s punk – and a healthy dose of in-your-face rock ‘n’ roll. The band covers classic blues track like ‘The Claw’ and ‘Full Grown Man’, giving each version their own powerful edge, bringing a new grit to loved songs. However, the album opens with an original, titled ‘Willow’, raw to the bone with Whitfield showing the soulful range of his vocals.
‘Rock n Roll’ has, as you might guess, a 1960’s rock n’ roll rhythm, with fast-paced drums and lyrics like “Rock ‘n’ roll woman, get her rocks all the time/She stays out all night/Drinking whiskey, beer or wine”. On the other hand, ‘Adjunct Street’ is a slow R&B tune, with a sombre tone, singing about an illicit love, of course. Acclaimed original ‘Bad News Perfume’ has a rumbling, rolling drum start, diving into electric rock ‘n’ roll and sax, fit with a high pitched “Ow!”
Despite sounding like the lead track on an obscure yet brilliant stoner rock album, ‘Incarceration Casserole’ shows off the garage-rock roots of Whitfield. ‘Full Moon in the Daylight Sky’, on the other hand, has a thick bass opening, joined by crashing cymbals and sax. “I fall down on the street/With a full moon in the daylight sky” sings Whitfield, as this final track shows the poetic powers of Barrence Whitfield & the Savages.
A fantastic addition to the shelves of any R&B, soul and rock lovers is ‘Under the Savage Sky’, bringing an infectious high to all their tracks, while tipping their hats to the old greats.
Nickie Shobeiry
We saw Barrence Whitfield & The Savages play recently in Exeter, click HERE to read our review and HERE to check out some killer pics.
