First things first; this is a wonderful acoustic album. Ferra‘s second outing, following the critically acclaimed debut ‚Bad Luck Blues‘, ‚Ain‘t No Hand Me Down‘ again features slippery slide work, hairy Harp and vibrant vocals in a 12-track CD of about half and half self-written material and great covers.
From the opening track, Son House‘s old ‚Preaching Blues‘ through a dash of Taj Mahal (‚The Loving In My Baby‘s Eyes‘) to Eric Bibb‘s evergreen, ‚Where The Green Grass Grows‘, this album flows effortlessly with several of Ferra‘s own interspersed compositions oozing quality and style with a strongly rhythmic ragtimey feel throughout.
Ferra‘s own ‚Meet Me Down The Alley‘ and ‚Tailor Made Woman‘ both stand out as well-honed, skillful songs classily and clearly capturing the essence of the ragtime era. This is a trick few can pull-off with clarity – Roy Book Binder, springs to mind. Ferra‘s barely half his age but already seems to have the knack.
Positively recommended. I, for one, already look forward to this guy‘s next offering. (www.daveferra.tripod.com/)
