I like Paul Cafcae when he weaves folky nuances through more intricate landscapes, erring on the side of the subtle and supple to make his music. But, when he goes for it, that’s when I love him. “Devil’s Right Hand” is the sound of him doing just that. With a title like that, how could it not be?
This time out, he is to be found slashing his way through a low-slung guitar sound, resonant salvos of gnarly garage rock and apocalyptic blues, fractured rock and roll and fist-in-the-air anthemics firing off in all directions, and a killer, staccato groove, the order of the day. And I have it on good authority that the guitar effects were produced live, as they happened and in the moment, thanks to some frantic twiddling and tweaking from an over-active studio engineer, just like the old days, and just another reason to love the guy.
Anyone who knows their stuff will get the obvious reference to Steve Earle. The title and subject matter are the same, but the song is very different—Earl’se a jaunty, folk-rock groover, and this is a nasty, metallic grind, as infused with blood and cordite as it is with overworked effects pedals and a sexy, lethargic swagger.
When you think you have Paul pinned down, he breaks free and heads off in new directions, but that’s what great artists do, and in that regard, he is up there with the best of them.
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