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March 01, 2011

Sandi Thom: Merchants and Thieves (Deluxe Edition) photo: Ami Barwell

Sandi Thom has the blues, with a dressing of country. Her much hyped debut album Smile... It Confuses People was a big hit, never mind that it sucked beyond belief. She has grown up since then and her latest album Merchants and Thieves is re-released with two extra tracks: The House Of The Rising Sun and If Heartaches Were Nickels.

Joe Bonamassa adds his signature tone and hoarse vocals to a couple of tracks, and shows his prowess on acoustic guitar, especially during the Fleetwood Mac classic (I) Need Your Love So Bad. If Heartaches Were Nickels is an ambitious choice for a cover, but Thom is overdoing with the vocals. Composer Warren Haynes plays this with restraint, but she lets the technique overpower the vibe of the song. As for the inclusion of House Of The Rising Sun, that is a song that has been hanged and quartered by every tone deaf street busker on the planet.

Thom started a the top with the marketing power of a major record label pushing her songs down the throat of the general public. When that gimmick didn't work out in the long run, they dropped like a like a hot potato. Musically it has been a good thing. With a tight budget she had to get rid of most of the fluff and securing a guest player like Joe Bonamassa is no mean feat. Rollicking opener Maggie McCall, the lazy beat of The Sadness and the harp drenched Gothic blues double hitter Belly Of The Blues and This Ol' World pack a the punch that is associated with the genre. All she now needs is a reliable independent coach who tells here to let rip and turn it up for an entire album. Merchants and Thieves is released on her own label Guardian Angels. Digital via iTunes.


Video: Sandi Thom - Gold Dust

» sandithom.com

Posted by Hans Werksman at 19:41