Beggars Whisky - The Edge (self-released)

Being a fan of bands like The Handsome Family and Nick Cave I appreciate Beggars Whisky’s blend of southern blues, rock and roll groove and gothic shade, that haunted and hallowed mix of seductive roots music and apocalyptic vibes. It is something that many have tried their hand at and most fallen short, all too often resulting in music which comes across as over-egged, unnecessarily needy and too theatrical. It takes a fine pen and a smart musical approach to get the balance just right. But thankfully, Beggars Whisky is in possession of both, and “The Edge” is the proof.

Sassy, that’s the word. Well, one word anyway. Others might be words and phrases such as boogiesome, dark, groove-fuelled, slinky, seductive, dark, mysterious, dark, delicious and, given its devilish associations and supernatural ways, diabolical…in its truest and most biblical meaning. Did I mention dark?

I don’t know what it is about the southern states, but the Devil seems to spend a lot of time there. But without him hanging around various crossroads, heading down to Georgia, getting busy in Knoxville, and the like, we wouldn’t have this quintessentially American, sinister yet sensational roots tradition, one that Beggars Whisky is keeping alive and doing so brilliantly.

Backbeats groove, vocals preach dark revelations, guitars sear and sweep through, and the whole thing sets up an almost shamanic sonic ritual. They say that the Devil has all the best tunes, but that isn’t exactly true; after all, Beggars Whisky has quite a few of them, too. And this is definitely one of them.

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