Harlis Sweetwater
Hard-charging blues/rock guitar slinger and singer Harlis Sweetwater boils the ocean into steam on his new solo EP Diesel Dirt & Spit Vol. 1. Released on September 21st, 2021 on Blu Volt Records, the four-song set showcases Sweetwater’s incredibly high-energy guitar and vocal work tracked live off the floor at Sound Asylum Studios in Santa Ana, California. Everything heard on the EP was captured in a pair of six-hour recording sessions and left as-is with no overdubs. What emerged were four songs that were raunchy, real, and full of the live-band roadhouse feel that all great rock and roll delivers. Diesel Dirt & Spit Vol. 1 comes off like brown liquor in a dirty glass after working overtime at the toughest job you’ve ever had and will get your blood pumping and your mind on better, nastier pursuits.
Harlis Sweetwater is an indie touring artist from Orange County, California who headlines his own shows across the USA and has also supported major names including Jimmie Vaughan, ZZ Top , Los Lobos, George Thorogood, Blues Traveler, and others. His three albums as The Harlis Sweetwater Band cracked the blues charts in the U.S., Ireland, Sweden, and New Zealand and now, as a solo act, Sweetwater is determined to fly even higher. He already has another single called “Won’t Be Satisfied” ready for an October drop that features the great David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and John Doe of West Coast punk pioneers X. Sweetwater is rock and roll to his core and is an instant favorite with anyone who loves street-level guitar music.
Sweetwater starts his party with a blazing version of Canned Heat vocalist Bob Hite’s “The Boogie” that’s almost powerful enough to bring Hite back from the afterlife. Sweetwater wastes no time and immediately shows this rocking boogie groove who’s boss. He’s one of the most confident guitarists and singers you’ll ever hear and the strength in him has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. His vocal tone is huge and his guitar solos are horsepower personified. If you haven’t heard Harlis before, you’ll be hooked once you spin this one.
“Slow Burn” is anything but slow and puts down a load of Sweetwater’s bare-knuckle style over a stomping beat. He’s an aggressive player whose bold phrasing and well-defined chops serve him well on heavier material like this. Recorded live like this, he’s an absolute smokehouse of melody and velocity who can’t do anything but command your full attention.
“Somebody’s Baby” is another blast of six-string goodness with a hint of early ZZ Top to it. It’s a late-night, wood floor, boot-shuffling kind of number that sounds like it’s ready to break free and take off down the highway. Sweetwater’s guitar tone is big and burly here and produces some of his finest guitar moments on the EP. His energy level is truly impressive and how he keeps it going is even more so. Sweetwater makes your average rocker sound like a folk singer in comparison and his magic is his ability to make anyone who hears him want to get up.
Harlis closes the record with his retelling of Willie Dixon’s eternal classic “Spoonful.” Sweetwater steers it to a place somewhere between the blues and Black Sabbath, where shuffles grind and fans are driven to the edge. His extended guitar solo is expressive and unapologetic, reveling in the ragged glory of rock music.
Diesel Dirt & Spit Vol. 1 is a short-but-brutal effort that will quite possibly lift the roof off of your home. Harlis Sweetwater is undoubtedly on his way to the big time and this new set just might be the release that gets him there. If you dig hard blues, you’re going to love this guy.
Listen to “Slow Burn”
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