Review in the Dec. 7th Issue by Mike Greenblatt:
Filled With Sound: J. Howard Duff
“How could one dude take from such disparate sources and make it come out like only J. Howard Duff can...complete with Steve Cropper licks and idiosyncratic male and female vocals? Thunder & Lightning by J. Howard Duff (self-released) features vocalist Dawn Gaye—a ‘60s wild child who escaped through a bedroom window to hit Woodstock running—who channels Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting For The Man” and Nick Cage’s “Palaces Of Montezuma.”
As alluring as Gaye may be, Duff takes a back seat to no one. From Roy Hamilton’s 1958 “Don’t Let Go” and Arthur Alexander’s 1962 “Anna” (you might know it from The Beatles' cover version) to Love’s 1966 “Signed DC” and John Lee Hooker’s 1959 “Dimples,” Duff combines a ferocity of spirit with an archeologist’s scientific penchant for detail. Plus, he’s got soul and is a hell of a guitarist. He can take a 2005 Randy Travis country song like “Oh Death” and make it personal and profound. Highlight? Blind Lemon Jefferson’s 1927 “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” may be what Duff has on his mind at 71. Or it could be his love of the blues is showing up like when Brian Jones on Shindig in 1965 introduced Howling Wolf on TV to me and other American teenagers for the first time.”
Many thanks to Mike and Goldmine for this nice review! Gotta go sharpen my archeologist’s shovel!
J. Howard