Back Door Slam - Roll Away (2007)

Davy Knowles was only eleven years old when he fell in love with Mark Knopfler's axe work on Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing" while listening to the radio in his father's car. That seemingly minor event was a turning point in young Davy's life because from that moment on all the kid wanted to be was a guitar player.

Knowles was only twenty-one years old when he, drummer Ross Doyle, and bassist Adam Jones decided they wanted to emulate Cream, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and Peter Green's early Fleetwood Mac and become gods of the British blues. Out of that desire sprung their new band, Back Door Slam, a name they stole from a Robert Cray song.

In 2007 the power trio, who hail from the Isle of Man, issued Roll Away. It would become the one and only studio album ever released by the group's original lineup.

On Roll Away Knowles proves he can play with the best of the bluesmen. His sonorous singing voice sounds like someone much older and it fits the requirements of his songs perfectly. While the guitarist is obviously the group's central figure Jones holds his own quite well. He never allows his bass lines to be overwhelmed by the leader and Doyle is no sissy when he's pounding away behind his drum kit.

The riff of "Come Home" never lacks for a groove while the title track shows off how versatile Knowles can be with an acoustic guitar in his hands. Mostly though, Roll Away will melt your speakers.

Knowles wrote ten of the eleven tracks with the exception of a white hot cover of Blind Joe Reynolds' "Outside Woman Blues."

The only other official release from the original trio is a live session captured at Bonaroo in 2008. They broke up in 2009 and Knowles organized an entirely new quartet around him billed as "Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam." The revamped lineup soon released a new CD that same year, Coming Up For Air, that was co-produced by Bob Clearmountain and Peter Frampton.  Unfortunately, it did not receive the same positive reception as Roll Away. Since then Knowles has been quiet.

Read more at Davy Knowles' website.

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