NEIL FINLAY & PETER PARNHAM: Stop And Listen
By Simon Sweetman
Neil Finlay has been part of the scene in Auckland for some years, playing acoustic blues either solo or, as is the case here, with Peter Parnham on upright bass. This is the first time in about 15 years that Finlay has recorded his acoustic guitar and harmonica blues and his reference points and inspirations are the jug band and country-blues staples of the 1930s - 1950s. The Mississippi Sheiks, Big Bill Broonzy, Lightnin’ Sam Hopkins, Memphis Minnie, Robert Johnson – these are some of the names attributed to the material collected here. The weakness of the album is his voice. Robert Johnson’s Steady Rollin Man shows nice fills on the guitar as well as the sound of the train hitting the steel, Parnham’s bass helping to propel the sound. There’s a very tasteful solo within the 12-bar form, but the Kiwi accent doesn’t really work when adhering to tradition. I would prefer to hear Finlay doing his own material for this reason. •
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