Selwyn Birchwood - Living In a Burning House

Selwyn Birchwood - Living In a Burning House - 2021

FROM Bluesrockreview

Singer/guitarist Selwyn Birchwood has an old-fashioned, raspy blues voice. One that makes him sound like he might be in his late 70s, existing on a diet of cigarettes, bourbon, and disappointment. He’s actually much younger and healthier-looking (at 6’3″, he resembles a college point guard), but on Living in a Burning House, he uses the sheer bluesiness of his voice to craft songs that may wander from the genre, but always return to the blues.

One of the fun things about the album is the push and pull into and out of the blues. On the one hand, you have Birchwood’s bluesy voice, and also his guitar and lap steel playing, which veer from the traditional to Jimi Hendrix, always tethered to a blues rock sound. But then you have his band, which features saxophone courtesy of Regi Oliver. The versatile Oliver delivers different sax styles, providing sonic depth, giving tunes an uptown blues feel, and even laying down some leads, sometimes like Junior Walker, and sometimes with a poppier and/or jazzier flavor. Birchwood and his band have a lot going on, but every track is thoughtfully constructed.

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01. I'd Climb Mountains

02. I Got Drunk, Laid And Stoned

03. Living In ABurning House

04. You Can't Steal My Shine

05. Revelation

06. Through A Microphone

07. Searching For My Tribe

08. She's A Dime

09. One More Time

10. Mama Knows Best

11. Frekas Come Out At Night

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