With
Under the Spell, Australian guitarist
Dave Hole and his veteran backup band manage to lasso in all of the energy from their live concerts, while under the roof of a usually antiseptic recording studio environment. All but three of the 12 tracks were written by
Hole and rank among his best work to date. Rocking through "Demolition Man" and delivering a sweet soul-blues ballad with "Don't Say Goodbye,"
Hole once again expresses his musical diversity with a flair. He manages to remain a true original while still feeding off of his major influences -- people like
the Rolling Stones,
Muddy Waters,
the Animals,
Howlin' Wolf, and
Muddy Waters. "Holding Pattern" rocks with a
Stevie Ray Vaughan feel, and
Hole's passionate vocals are a real treat on his cover of
John Lee Hooker's "Run With Me." "More Love, Less Attitude" is an infectious groove that begs to be heard time and time again, and
Hole simply smokes on the electric slide -- there are no two ways about it.
Under the Spell combines excellent acoustic foundations, topped with blistering slide work and power-soaked vocals, to provide one of the finest blues albums of the year. The CD should be required listening for all fans and students of the slide guitar, as well as connoisseurs of the blues in general. ~ Michael B. Smith