Dead Fingers
Big Black Dog
***and1/2 out of *****
The trio from Birmingham, AL have released their sophomore effort titled Big Black Dog containing a quirky mix of shuffling lo-fi country and pop ditties. While Alan Rousser holds things down on drums and percussion the band is a showcase for Kate Taylor and Taylor Hollingsworth to duet on every track as the couple (both professionally and personally) sing and play for each other.
Opening with the title track the group lets you know what you are in for as it straddles genre's sounds and definition's. That oddness on this particular track doesn't elevate it much but it lets the listener know this isn't going to be your normal pop duet disk. "Shoom Doom Babba Labba" takes a 50's girl group style and adds the modern worries of American life, while "Feet Back On The Ground" is a winning mix of grooving twang and dance breaks; songs that morph this easily show the true freedom the players are working with.
"Twisted" is another one on the positive side, playing with a simple upbeat snare march while various instrumentation peek in on the proceedings before a restrained version of a early Meat Puppets guitar flies in for a solo. That southern fried weirdness sticks around with some wah-wah work from Hollingsworth on "Holy Water" which duels with spirits while Kate takes center stage on "Pomp & Circumstance". Vocally the voices are night and day, with Kate shining on almost every level while Hollingsworth takes on a more Ry Cooder sound with his singing; both axeman are acquired tastes and better guitar players first and foremost.
The duo credits recently having their first child as to having them re-evaluate themselves as a group in all forms. Like a lot of other male/female groups there is no true lead but unlike those acts there isn't a reliance on sap or back and fourth boy/girl troubles. The group seems to be going after something more elusive and a bit trickier, while they don't always grasp it Dead Fingers make a valiant effort and Big Black Dog is an engaging listen because of this.
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