Review 'Little Black Flies' by Eddie 9V

Eddie 9V

By Chris Wheatley

Prodigiously gifted multi-instrumentalist and song-writer Eddie 9V returns to blow away the cobwebs with Little Black Flies, a collection of nine originals and three covers out May 28 on Ruf Records. A native of Atlanta, GA, at just 24 years of age, Eddie ranks among a small but vital group of young artists who have turned away from the bland shallowness of commercial pop in search of something deeper.

“I’ve seen a trend in modern recording,” says Eddie 9V, “there’s no soul. I took inspiration from Albert Collins, Otis Rush, Mike Bloomfield. All those great records were done live with their buddies and no overdubs.” It’s an admirable sentiment, and a grand kick-back against a surfeit of over-produced material by this thoughtful songwriter whose lyrical inspirations for this record include “being in love with the girl in the apartment upstairs, who was being abused” and themes of racial and social inequality.

The opener and title-track “Little Black Flies” is a delight, a loose-feeling, deep soul-blues groove. There is an appreciably relaxed attitude here, but that should in no way be taken to suggest that these are not top-notch players completely in tune with each other. This music displays an extraordinary old-school feel, yet at the same time nothing sounds dated. It’s as if the ghost of Stax Records returned just to issue this album. Rolling horns, shuffling drums, melodic keys, guitar and, above all, Eddie’s extraordinary vocals mix to create a hypnotic wonder which oozes authenticity. His delivery has an unfettered, semi-improvised vibe, the voice itself astonishingly expressive, with a classic blues rawness and charming ingenuousness.

“Dog Me Around” increases the pace a little, with some driving, wailing harmonica. Edges of jagged guitar, thumping percussion and some lovely barrel-house piano jump and dance with irrepressible energy. Back in the 60s, this would have been a stone-cold hit. If there is any musical justice, it should be one now. “Don’t Come Around This House” shuffles and slithers, a dusty, moaning mid-tempo blues with more soul-wrenching pathos than many an entire album. “I studied the older cats,” reflects Eddie, citing Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Freddie King and Rory Gallagher, “I saw what made them groove and tick.” Eddie 9V and company certainly possess that almost indefinable magic element – a muscular, acrobatic approach coupled with sheer joy in the music that they play.

The ‘ticking’ cymbals which launch “Don’t Come Around This House” will be instantly recognizable to any fans of 60s/70s soul and funk. It’s another subtle indicator of how deep Eddie’s love for this music runs. That well-spring of affection and respect bubbles up through every note here, imbuing Little Black Lies with a sublime sheen and ethos. Again, Eddie’s almost sing-song, confessional vocals steal the show. His words seem to flow straight from his soul, a direct connection to the spirit of the blues. Throughout this album, his performance is astonishing. “I’ve been making words up on the spot for years,” explains Eddie himself, “my Uncle Brian taught me how to do that at our family fish fries. How to make people laugh, how to hold an audience’s attention.”

Hold your attention he certainly does. “I want to make it funky,” shouts Eddie before the band launches into “Miss James,” a strutting masterpiece of restrained might and energy, full of rumbling riffs, cutting guitar and, yes, a level of funk which could have been distilled straight from any of James Brown’s classic performances. I could eulogize over every track presented here, but all you really need to know is that Eddie 9V is the real deal. Backed by top-class musicians who are behind him all the way, Eddie has laid down a set which ought rightfully to find a home in the collection of anyone even remotely interested in this genre, and beyond.

Watch “Little Black Flies”