Roll Away

Davy Knowles, Back Door Slam

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2007)
• Original Release Date: June 26, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blix Street
• ASIN: B000QEILGU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,574 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Hailing from the United Kingdom s Isle of Man hardly a bastion for the blues Back Door Slam is fronted by 20-year-old singer, songwriter and guitar prodigy Davy Knowles, and has already begun to develop a following in the U.S. via high profile performances at SXSW in Austin and the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis. From the same Running Media Group management stable as multi-platinum Grammy nominee Corinne Bailey Rae, they recorded the album at the Isle of Man s DAM Studios with RMG s Dave Armstrong producing.

One of the season s most compelling debuts, ROLL AWAY finds Back Door Slam displaying its powers of what has been described as "Back To The Future Blues" on a diverse program of tough rockers, moving ballads and cleanly executed blues. Highlights include the guitar-driven opener Come Home, the dark Albert King-styled Heavy on My Mind, rock-funk groover Takes a Real Man, and the album s one cover song, the highly-charged Outside Woman Blues. Too Good for Me is a quiet, change-of-pace piece featuring mandolin and guitar; it is more folk than blues, more Bruce Springsteen than Stevie Ray Vaughan. Stay is a powerful paean to a fallen comrade (the band s original rhythm guitarist, Brian Garvey, killed in an auto accident in 2004), while the title song, a reflective, largely acoustic track with Celtic overtones, deals with a young man s love of his safe, idyllic home and his need to break away for the uncertainties of the world beyond.

Back Door Slam s name comes from the Robert Cray blues classic, and Cray s influence and that of other blues greats like Eric Clapton, John Mayall, Rory Gallagher, early Fleetwood Mac plus the late Stevie Ray Vaughan imbues their intoxicating, guitar-driven sound. Knowles, who also writes most of the songs, first picked up the guitar at age 11 after hearing Dire Straits Sultans of Swing on his father s cassette. Skipping the usual three-chord songbook approach to learning the instrument, he taught himself to play the classic song in its entirety and, in doing so, also discovered his destiny.
After hearing Back Door Slam at SXSW in March, 2007, Patrick MacDonald wrote in the Seattle Times: I heard the spirit of Jimi Hendrix coming from the open, streetside windows of a joint called B.D. Riley's. It was Red House, executed superbly by a surprisingly young trio called Back Door Slam, from the Isle of Man in the U.K. The club was packed and so was the street outside. Folks were transfixed by this kid on guitar, who played with a fiery spirit and sang with conviction, making the song his own.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back Door Slam Rock With " Roll Away", July 3, 2007

By	Vibrolux45 (Xiamen,China) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Wow...finally a blues player with grit and who can play and sound fresh!
The cd is fantastic!One of my all time favorite tunes is Outside Woman Blues by Cream and the band do it right on Roll Away! Fantastic voice on this kid and I know that Back Door Slam will have staying power for sure.....I am a fan of early Fleetwood Mac , Cream and Hendrix if you enjoy these as well you will not be disapointed ....Davey Knowles is the real deal and I wish them the best..buy this cd !

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Been waiting for this release!, July 26, 2007

By	Kevin K "Gibby" (Little Rock, AR) - See all my reviews

Like "MemBen," I saw BDS in the Blues Tent at BSMF, and I've been waiting for the CD release ever since. Davy's guitar sound is as raw and hard core as any we heard all weekend. I honestly thought SRV was back. The crowd recognized what they were seeing, and responded accordingly. We were tired when they finished their set! Get this CD, and see them live whenever you can. You will be glad you did.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop reading the reviews right this minute and go buy the CD., January 4, 2008

By	gadgetgirl (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

Go ahead, read the rest when you come back. I'll wait...

I heard "Come Home" on the radio last week and thought it might be obscure Eric Clapton, but knew that wasn't quite right. I did a little research to find out who it was, and then downloaded the entire Roll Away CD immediately. Unfortunately it wasn't available for download on Amazon, so I had to resort to iTunes, but annoying DRM was a fair exchange for instant gratification.

Simply said, this CD is authentic, blues-infused rock, alternately searing hot, sweetly acoustic, and downright funky. Even the softer songs unfold over a base of smokin' guitar and solid bass, with lap steel and hints of mandolin providing extra, delicious dimension. If you can imagine sizzling habaneros mixed with amber incense and black leather, you'll begin to get the idea.

I don't know where these boys got the life experience to play with such heartbreaking authority, but they manage to effortlessly blend rock and blues together to form its own hybrid creature. Even my BHH (blues-hating husband) was quite impressed -- every song on Roll Away rocks. Now go buy it! You won't be disappointed.