CHICAGO 9 Blues Band. Southampton UK
"BLUES IN THE FAST LANE"
Blues Matters Magazine (Matt Merrit) July 2008
Traditionally there's not much love lost between Portsmouth and Southampton, rivalry fuelled by football and their roles as the south coasts premier ports for the military and shipping respectively. Through the years the rivalry has veered from violent to friendly teasing and back again. So it's with that background that this Portsmouth born lad reviews Southampton's Chicago 9. Tempting though it would be to rib the band in print, if only in friendly fashion, I have to say that this is a cracking little CD, with a great mix of original tracks and a few interesting covers ('Riding On The L&N', as made famous by Dr Feelgood, throbs with energy here). Vocals are shared between songwriters Mark Nolan and Ian Mitchell, the former on guitar too and the latter chipping in with some great harmonica parts, and rhythm section Melvyn Lockyer (bass) and drummer Elrad Matthews lock the band into a tight groove, perfect for toe tapping appreciation. I was looking forward to making a joke at the end of this review, but the egg is firmly on my face… these guys are too damn good!
