British Blues 2014 Album of the Year winner – Standing in the Shadows from King King congrats!
The British Blues Music Awards were held last Sunday night. I will review the total list at some point today and write about the winners.But for now here is a post I wrote after listening to the album Standing in the Shadows from King King, which won the award for Blues Album of the Year. I have also reviewed the two runners up Aynsley Lister’s Home and Shake the Walls from Marcus Bonfanti!!
Awards for King King
So it’s always pretty neat when I listen to an album, like I did with Standing in the Shadows from the blues band King King, are blown away. Then go to their website and read that they were the winners of the Best Band & Best Album at the British Blues 2012 Awards!! They are also Winners of ‘Best Band’ & ‘Best Album’ – Blues Matters Writers Poll in 2011!! Hailing from Glasgow King King is fronted by guitarist Alan Nimmo, formerly of the award-winning Nimmo Brothers. As I listened to the album, I heard tracks that went from all out blues ballads to funky blues… from the band’s Facebook page..
King King’s unique sound, swaggering from Stones-tinged blues rock through throbbing funk to reflective ballad and back. Ever present are Nimmo’s impassioned vocals and intricate guitar work, cohort Lindsay Coulson’s punchy bass, and the made-to-make-you-grin keyboard/piano work of Bennett Holland and Dale Storr. Craig Blundell and Wayne Proctor offer selfless vigour and expertise on drums, whilst Jacquie Williams joins the boys to bring gutsy, soulful backing vocals to several tracks. Intelligent and compelling, Take My Hand overflows with unexpected gems and reaches just the right balance of refinement and juke joint clout.
Alan Nimmo – The Nimmo Brothers and King King
As I am writing, I am listening to The Nimmo Brothers. Once again, I hear the great vocals of Alan Nimmo and his great guitar work. Seems like I have a lot of listening exploring both the back catalogs of The Nimmo Brothers and King King!!
More from King King’s Facebook page:
The driving force behind King King’s unstoppable charge is the aforementioned Nimmo, a fleet-fingered frontman imbued with almost impolite quantities of charisma and the talent to back it up. Widely known across the UK and Europe for his pivotal role with the award-winning Nimmo Brothers, his full-blooded style, technical brilliance and impassioned vocals are infectious and instantly recognizable.
Press for Standing in the Shadows
Now I could go on and on about each track and tell you more about the great vocals, the fine Hammond organ and drums…. but here’s a quote that I think sums it all up!! So go out and check them out!!
“By the time you reach the final track of Standing In The Shadows, you’ll be left in no doubt. They’ve nailed it. Aced it. Knocked it out of the park, just as you knew they would.
If King King were a lesser band, with lesser balls, they might have folded under the weight of expectation that surrounds this second album.
Instead, Alan Nimmo and the boys have taken everything the last two years have thrown at them – the rave reviews, the national awards, the sell-out shows – and responded with the best songs of their lives.” – Henry Yates, Classic Rock Blue
Here’s the first track… “More Than I Can Take” I know it’ll hook you!!