Jim Barclay

The Four Charms – Triskaidekaphobia!

Hi-Style HSD82696
Don’t Make Me Beg – Triskaidekaphobia – I Gotta Get Another Girl – 6 String Boogie – Lonesome Tears In My Eyes – Up Jumped The Devil – She Likes To Boogie Real Low – Quiet Whiskey – Drops Of Rain -Cubano Jump – Scotchin’ With The Soda – On The Sunny Side Of The Street Thats’ A Plenty

At long last, The Four Charms offer a follow up to their astounding debut album «Flatland Boogie». Ok, I must admit that the first time I saw the name of this album I thought “What’s this?”. Then, I took my dictionary and learned that Triskaidekaphobia means something like the fear of number 13. That’s why if you look at the track listing there’s no track 13, just a soundless blank.

What about the music? This album covers a wider range of style than the the first one. You’ll find here, top notch boogie blues instrumental like «6 string boogie», rockabilly jive (a great cover of Burnette’s Lonesome Tears in my Eyes with sax), “Scotchin’ with the Soda” with a very King Cole Trio/Slim Gaillard feel and “That’s a Plenty” that starts like a real jazz tune and suddenly goes into a Merle Travis style showing the musicianship of Joel Paterson, and as usual the overall influence of Illinois Jacquet, The Treniers and Nat “King” Cole Trio, especially in their cover of “The Sunny Side Of The Street”. I almost forgot to mention the amazing skill of Jimmy Sutton and his slap bass, not only when he plays solo but he’s really the driving force behind this band.

The production and recording works (done at Fort Horton studio) are worth to be mentionned too because it makes that four members combo sound like a ten piece orchestra. Take a cure of Triskaidekaphobia it’s good for your health.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis