David Starr — “Must Be Blue” — Quarto Valley Records
David Starr grew up with the blues. Let him tell you what happened as he made his way through his musical life:
“Blues music has always made me feel at home somehow,” he says. “Perhaps because it was some of the first music I heard as a young musician looking for his muse in gritty little clubs in Northwest Arkansas.
“Maybe it has to do with the timeless themes of love and loss, struggle and strife, the loud electrics, the way people can’t help but tap their feet when they hear it … playing blues-influenced songs always centers me in a way that no other music does.
“When I moved to the mountains of Colorado, my influences expanded to Americana and roots, and acoustic guitar became a muse of its own. This album is my version of a blues record, what you might call ‘Bluesicana’ – the grooves and electrics are there, but so is a mandolin. Call it coming home, full circle.”
That bluesicana is what you get on “Must Be Blue,” Starr’s first full album in his self-proclaimed genre, despite the singer/songwriter’s already having 11 other albums to his credit. This one features some Starr originals and heady covers.
The album opener, “Hole In The Page,” brings it all into focus, with tough, driving beat and steamy guitar solo, underscoring Starr’s gritty vocals exploring the heartache of a lost love. “Bringin’ It Back” is a bluesy shuffle, followed by the plaintive theme of “Just Got Back From Baby’s,” a married woman who just might be doing him wrong.
“Lonesome Train” tracks another lost-love saga that rips along, adding that a mandolin Starr mentioned, in a solo that drops right into place. “Listen To The Rain” is a gentle rocker with another railroading lament: “The same train that brought you home to me, is taking you away…”
The original “My Favorite Color (must be blue)” is a slow burning, sort-of title song with a painful look back: “I carried that torch for you until it burned me up…” The lyrical elegance of “Ezra Came To Call” takes a philosophical turn, but maintains a rocking beat, followed by “Time Is a Thief,” another reflection, not on lost love, but lost time: “I see all the things I might have been, how I wish I could start all over again.”
“I Wait For Mine” is another thoughtful musing, this time on waiting for redemption, fueled by stinging guitar licks. The closer is a soaring version of the Allman Brothers classic “Whipping Post,” and there couldn’t be a better conclusion to this sparkling album of bluesicana music.
David Starr may call “Must Be Blue” bluesicana music, looking at it through his blues-themed vision. I call it a damn fine album from a veteran musician who’s pulling together the musical elements of his life and making great music for the rest of us.
Here’s “Hole in the Page” from the album:
Tracklist:
1. Hole In The Page
2. Bringin’ It Back
3. Just Got Back From Baby’s
4. Lonesome Train
5. Listen To The Rain
6. My Favorite Color
7. Ezra Came To Call
8. Time Is A Thief
9. I Wait For Mine
10. Whipping Post
Blues Roadhouse 