Lees Blues

Oliver Darling has built a career and solid reputation as a stylish guitarist of note through working with many musicians such as Mike Sanchez, Tanita Tikaram, Buena Vista Social Club members and Geraint Watkins, and he has been a touring member of Imelda May's band since 2015. 2022 has already been an incredibly busy year for Darling with full tours of the UK, Ireland, Spain, France, plus Hyde Park, Glastonbury, Black Deer festivals as a guitar slinger with Imelda May. Darling has in addition been performing solo acoustic shows, plus more as a trio, for many years up and down the UK often in the company of drummer Dean Beresford and upright bass player Al Gare. Sets comprising classic delta blues, upbeat fingerpicking folk blues and their successors rockabilly and rock 'n' roll. Now he has poured all that experience into eleven new recordings creating a debut solo album, "Lee's Blues", eight of which are self- penned. Painstakingly recorded by Darling at his home studio, then using a process which bounced all tracks via analogue tape has bestowed upon the album a genuine warmth suiting the material. To enhance the production Darling enlisted the creative input of Marco Cinelli (The Cinelli Brothers) as co-producer. What results is a set of vintage-styled songs with a strong contemporary energy and sonic aura. As Davy Graham was once labelled, 'folk blues and beyond'. Old cohorts Beresford (Richard Hawley, Charles Brown) and Gare (King Biscuit & The Pleasure Boys, Imelda May) guest, as do violinist Bob Loveday (Van Morrison) and pianist Joe Glossop (Tom Jones, James Hunter), with additional space given to new trio members Rollo Markee (the Tailshakers) on harmonica and drummer Rob Pokorny (Billy Branch, James Hunter, Si Cranstoun). Darling himself let's loose on dobro and his Gibson ES120 whilst providing the main picking on his trusted and gig-worn 1973 Martin 000-28 acoustic.