Monday, October 26, 2015

Freya Wilcox & The Howl - 2015 - Barenuckle Love

Freya Wilcox & The Howl is a blues-rock three piece from New York City, New York. Barenuckle Love is their debut EP. Freya Wilcox is a singer songwriter from Australia who now makes her home in Brooklyn New York. The Howl consists of bassist Craig Shay and drummer CJ Dunaieff who also play in Eli Whitney & The Sound Machine. Freya released Dirt Music, a bluesy, solo & all acoustic EP in 2013. Four fifths of the songs from this first full band effort, Bareknuckle Love, first appeared in stripped down form on Dirt Music.



With The Howl behind her these songs transform Freya from a bluesy, acoustic singer-songwriter to a raucous, punked up blues-rock wailer. It would be too easy to compare Freya's voice to Janis Joplin, that's become the go to comparison for a female singer who gives it her all with a rough edge to her voice. It is a testament to the musicianship of this trio that adding the oomph of a full band doesn't detract from the songs' urgency and rawness. This is blues-rock played by punk rockers as if their very lives depended on it. Here's where I would list my favourite songs but this EP is great from the yelled count in of Bury Me to the final fading shouts of Fight For You.  Freya Wilcox & The Howl have crafted an excellent debut of punked of blues-rock that leaves me satisfied and wanting more. Highly recommended.