Rating:
Genre:
Blues
Release Date: 10/17/2006
The two guys in
Scrapomatic get a little more, well, scrappy on their sophomore release. Vocalist
Mike Mattison and guitarist
Paul Olsen work a stripped downed sound to reveal the
gospel and Delta roots beneath their gritty
swamp blues. This baker's dozen of tracks veers from the near
vaudeville jazz of
"Lotus" to the acoustic churchy strains of
"Tired Weak Legs," the latter aided by
Kristina Beaty's lovely vocals.
Mattison's gruff yet malleable vocals add to the bluesy feel of the songs. His singing, which occasionally hits a
Prince-styled falsetto as on the
R&B drenched
"Monkey Card," is consistently riveting, even when he moves too far into
Tom Waits territory on the tuba enhanced opening
"Louisiana Anna." Beaty takes lead on a stirring duet ballad
"The Other Side" and her
Susan Tedeschi-styled voice meshes well with
Mattison's similarly throaty approach. A rearranged cover of the old
Replacements punk track
"God Damn Job" is revelatory as this version digs into the frustration at the heart of the song's rather simplistic lyrics.
"Long Way Home" even brings some rustic
folk-
country to the equation. But it's on the slow, grinding backwoods
blues like the self-explanatory
"Raw Head and Bloody Bones" and
"Horsemeat," both led by
Olsen's greasy lead lines, that the duo best connects with its material. Despite, or maybe because of, its eclectic nature,
Alligator Love Cry defines
Scrapomatic as a tough and talented act comfortable in a variety of genres all infused by a rugged
blues base.
Mattison is a terrifically talented singer, secure with diverse styles, and guitarist
Olsen likewise snakes around these often dissimilar tunes with panache and intensity. Veteran
jazz/
blues producer
John Snyder's work here, as on the group's debut, is characteristically exemplary. He frames these songs with a lean atmosphere while highlighting the duo's synergistic vocal-guitar interplay.
~Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
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