Daddy Long Legs Stomp Onward with Raw Blues Anthems on ‘Street Sermons’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Photo credit: Sumner Dilworth

Daddy Long Legs is a band from New York that “formed over a mutual love of wild and unhinged rock n’ roll and rural rhythm and blues music.” That fact is evident on the band’s first couple albums, on which the band marries garage-rock energy to a lowdown and dirty form of blues. The result is a collection of songs that will have you stomping your boots.

Like most bands, Daddy Long Legs took an unplanned hiatus due to pandemic, and their new album Street Sermons began during the lockdown. Brian Hurd (vocals, harmonica) awoke from a terrible dream to find himself in a cold sweat. His memories of that dream inspired the lyrics to “Nightmare,” the first single on the album. The band hasn’t altered its style. It still cranks out a raw blues sound. However, this album is different than previous albums. To put it simply, the new album is a little more restrained than what you’re used to from this band. It’s true that may not be saying a whole lot since the previous albums are about as restrained as a panel truck careening downhill without brakes. The beats aren’t quite as primitive and the sound is slightly less raw, but it’s style of music that seems equally influenced by Hound Dog Taylor and The Sonics. 

The title track opens the album and it is immediately different than what the listener might expect. With a beat and a chant that sounds like a chain gang, the first lyrics of the album are “Work with one another, not against each other.” The guitar part has something of a front-porch feel in this song, whose message is one of power through unity. It’s a message we can all use, particularly after the last three years. 

“Nightmare” is the song that inspired the album and it is clearly inspired by 60s rock and roll. The beginning of the song features backing vocals similar to The Beatles version of “Twist and Shout.” That is followed immediately followed by a howl similar to Gerry Roslie of The Sonics. It also sounds like something you might hear from someone who is waking from a nightmare. That’s not the only 60s influence on the album either. “Rockin’ My Boogie” is an uptempo garage glues song that includes a piano that sounds like the early days of rock and roll and a saxophone sound that was not uncommon among 60s (and 60s revival) garage bands. On top of that, the album features an artist who was a part of the scene in the 60s; John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful plays baritone guitar on “Ding-Ding Man,” a song that incorporates kazoo and banjo. It is a carefree song about “the kind of man that the world ignores, but he’s got the one thing they don’t sell in stores.” If you need a mood boost, this song is a good choice.

Street Sermons by Daddy Long Legs is an album you won’t forget quickly. Whether it’s an uptempo romp like “Been a Fool Once” or a slower tempo song like “Star,” these are songs that you can sing and dance to. The band brings the best of gritty blues and rock and roll in a way that is unmistakable.

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