As its title implies, Leo’s Guitar is all about artistic expression via an electrified six-string courtesy of Izzie’s Caravan, and in four fantastically engaging songs, this EP does everything its creators designed it to. Izzie’s Caravan come in blistering hot at the start of the tracklist with “Two in the Bush” before ripping through the slow-rolling “Lightnins-A-Howlin’,” crushing “Dorian’s Lament” and the instrumental juggernaut title track. Inside of just twelve minutes’ time, these blues-rockers manage to dispense one fiery eruption of tonality after another whilst making use of every melodic tool at their disposal. A great example of what can come from dedicated songcraft meeting passionate players in their prime, Leo’s Guitar is as top shelf as electric blues records get in the contemporary age.
The strings are mightily textured throughout the
whole of this EP, and I’m not talking about the guitar parts alone. The
basslines in “Lightnins-A-Howlin’” and the title track are bursting with detail
upon closer inspection, and though they never come even close to stealing any
of the spotlight away from the leads at the top of the mix, their sonic
contribution makes this material as chill-inducing as it is. Most everything in
the mix is arranged as to create additional tension through the physicality of
tone and harmony, and while there are moments that sound almost nauseatingly
crisp, nothing here feels overproduced to me. Izzie’s Caravan are putting some
serious effort into making this a meticulous sampling of their talents, and for
my money, they couldn’t have done much better.
The almost conflicted, hesitant rhythm in “Two
in the Bush” and “Dorian’s Lament” allows for maximum melodic exploitation in
both of these songs, which won me over in right out of the gate when I sat down
with Leo’s Guitar for the first time. Nothing in this extended
play seems even slightly rushed or thrown-together, and even in the case of
up-tempo tunes that require ridiculous dexterity, you can tell that no one in
Izzie’s Caravan was sweating the task at hand. They’ve got a great energy in
this disc, and if it’s something I can expect to experience in their live
performances, I’ll make a point of checking out their stage show the next time
they’re in my neck of the woods.
I’ve been a guitar buff for the better part of
my life, but I don’t think you need to be to fall in love with what Izzie’s
Caravan are doing in Leo’s Guitar. Fiercely streamlined but not
lacking in any of the compositional bells and whistles that diehard blues fans
expect in a modern release, Leo’s Guitar is a credible
offering from a band clearly capable of getting a lot done in the studio. A
full-length album of this crew’s blues style would be quite enticing indeed, and
if given the right space to record it, I think such a record could make a
serious impact both in and outside of their native scene. I’ll be looking out
for more, and I’d recommend you do the same.
Jonah McPherson
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