Search - Mark Selby :: Nine Pound Hammer

One of Selby's best yet!

Tuneman | central Ohio, US of A | 04/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of Marc Selby's best solo releases yet to date! Great vocals, inventive guitar work, great musicality, just a tremendous release. Good time blues, you HAVE to get your hands on this one!!!!"

I LOVE THIS CD

L. A. Ochsenbine | Niles, Ohio United States | 06/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have taken this CD out of my CD player but not for very long!"

A Nine Pound Winner

William P. Jackson | Nashville, Tennessee United States | 01/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album represents the old shoes you refuse to throw away, depsite your wife's threats to throw you and your smelly-soled sneakers in the dog house, while Fido gets the upper hand and trades places with you. Despite the ridicule you receive for hanging onto old jeans, shirts, boots and even outdated underwear, you hold onto your sentimental possesions because they're guaranteed to deliver, not because you're a creature of habit.



For lovers of roots oriented rock and blues, it's enjoyable to hear what we like, as it's hard to find non-commercialized roots music on the radio anymore. And while there are countless blues pickers that can play upside down in a jar of pickle juice, while their guitar is in the other room, Mark's talent and genius are demostrated with his choice of notes, and the colors he incorporates, establishing the emotion driving this record.



Mark has a resume that could most likely compete with that Houdini of Harmony, who won the "who can play the most notes in 3 seconds?" contest at the Nebraska State Fair, but he chooses quality over quantity. Not because he knows only three chords and one scale, but because he inspires synergy with his hands, his guitar, amp, lyrics and voice, to transform his feelings into three dimensional images we can easily see and feel.



This is not another "paint by numbers" blues record, but a refreshing collection of mood-altering songs I will find myself engulfed in while not even realizing it. Not many new albums I've heard command such a profound level of my respect. In fact, I'm so fond of Nine Pound Hammer, I was inspired to upgrade the factory stereo system in my car. It's the subtle details and overall mojo that separate Nine Pound Hammer from the pack for me.



One review suggests Mark took a step or two back with this album from his past one, but while I am not about to say a person's personal taste and opinion are wrong because they aren't the same as mine, I will say the only steps, I feel, Mark took back, were the ones that walked back into those emotional states that inspired him to write each song. I'm glad this album is different. It should be. An artist paints the pictures from his soul, and not necessarily what's made for television or the market driven masses of money making media. (last time I checked, the major record lables are hurting. Apparently Bubble Yum doesn't last quite as long as advertised.)



This album definitely lays the hammer down in big fashion. Possibly the best pound for pound record I've listened to in a long time."