Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Harvey Mandel — Snake Walk
(Earwig Music no#, 2025, CD / LP / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-10-28

Snake Walk Cover art

From his early days playing with the Barry Goldberg Reunion and Charlie Musselwhite to the launch of his solo career in ‘68, to his time with Canned Heat, John Mayall, and recording with The Rolling Stones on their 1976 album Black and Blue, Mandel has always been an innovator, bringing new techniques and stylings to the world of blues-rock based electric guitar. In March of this year Mandel had his 80th birthday, and just one year ago we thought we might be losing him to cancer, but he persevered, and this year released his 23rd solo album if my count is correct, and Snake Walk is as powerful and innovative as anything he’s ever done. As with most of his work through the years, this is an album of instrumental works, ten rock pieces informed by blues, jazz, funk, psychedelia, and more, every measure still dripping with inventive technique. While there’s not a lot of information given as to who the guest players were who helped him bring the album to fruition. It was a full two years or more in the making, meaning that there were probably a dozen or more musicians working with him on it while working through his health challenges. The set opens with “Weather the Storm,” a soulful rock piece that rings with flashy effected guitar throughout. The credits list it as an instrumental remix, so somewhere out there one might find a version of the tune with vocals. The deep funky bass moves on “Puppy Love” drive home some superb psychedelic guitar sounds, while “World News Blues” is reminiscent of his work from the early 70s. The amazingly powerful and seemingly effortless lead work on “Eye of the Snake” swirls with energy over an unforgettable funky bottom end, while the bizarre “Freak of Dawn” upends that with its squawky grooves running interference throughout the number. The title track is an absolute beauty of eclectic electric blues. There are a lot of great innovative sounds herein to marvel over, and Mandel still carries that banner high. Snake Walk is probably as good as anything he’s ever done.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Harvey Mandel

More info
http://earwigmusic.com/shop-blues/snake-walk/

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.