Search - Jeffrey Halford :: Kerosene

Halford 's KEROSENE showcases his intuitive songwriting .

06/06/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Halford blends traditional blues, roots rock and grind'em out rock'n'roll into a one-two punch on KEROSENE. Each song showcases his superb, intuitive songwriting abilities. Halford writes the likes of James McMurtry and Springsteen into a corner as he grapples with age-old emotional conflicts ("Bad Luck", "Beauty In You", "Pablo And Me"), instilling new twists on life's oldest struggles.Halford employs a Louisiana-flavored musical style on "A Thousand Times", reminiscent of the Sub-Dudes, as he weaves a "love-gone-south" story. Chops are humid, nostalgic and languid, as he describes his darkest moments.."bloodshot dreary eyes" weeping about his lost love. Perfect for those summertime blues.Halford's respect for the Delta blues kings-specifically Robert Johnson- can be heard in his haunting slide guitar work on "On A Roll," which he tempers with a hard, visceral bass and tasty organ grounding to form the musical backdrop. Like in the land of CREEM, he uses just a few instruments to bang out an infectious, slow dance groove."Stella Guitar", "Creole Moon" and "Kerosene" are powerful guitar-driven social statement songs that could easily fit into a movie soundtrack. "Drivin Alone" is a pulsating cruisin' song with smokin' slide guitar licks that make you want to hit the blacktop at full speed."