Lloyd Spiegel

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Lloyd Spiegel is an artist on the cutting edge of the blues scene in Australia and is one of the most exciting acoustic guitarists in the world right now. Australian Guitar Magazine named him as one of the 50 top Australian guitarists of all time. Spiegel’s unique experience, command of his instrument, storytelling, and powerful stage persona has put him at the forefront of acoustic blues, re-inventing the style while maintaining a close relationship with its foundations and traditions.  Spiegel has toured the globe with frequent visits to Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States where he has performed at major festivals as well as supporting the likes of Ray Charles, Bob Dylan and Etta James on tour. More recently, found great success in Japan, performing sold out concerts at Tokyo Disneyland.

2018 is set to be another great year for Lloyd Spiegel with the announcement of the release of his 8th album Backroads and a tour to back it up. Backroads is a hard-edged, brutally honest confessional that looks at Spiegel’s life outside of music. From listening to some of Spiegel’s previous music compared to Backroads I can hear that he has reinvented his sound.

Spiegel says of the album, “So much of what I’ve written in the past is focussed on where I’m going. Both literally and figuratively. I’m a driven person and never really paused to think about the sacrifices, what I’ve left behind till I sat for a moment and started writing.”

Amnplify writer Brianna Denmeade has listened to the album through to give you readers a full review of the Lloyd Spiegel album Backroads.

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Lloyd Spiegel // Backroads

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The Kick Around opens with heavy drums and a smooth sliding electric guitar riff before Lloyd Spiegel’s smooth, bluesy vocals layer over the top. Setting the theme for an album that is lyrically clever with lyrics that paint Spiegel’s life when he isn’t making music, women on the corner (hookers) and kicking around with mates. Lyrics such as,“I’m on the corner ’cause I’m passing through. It ain’t love it’s just a thing we do.” and “I’m meeting Tony at the Polka Dot Lounge and I come for the kick around.” give a glimpse into what sounds like life on the road as a muso. The segments of electric guitar instrumentals give track one a rock edge, whilst still incorporating all of the bluesy elements Spiegel is loved for.

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The title of track two is Betcha Bottom Dollar and the opening of this track is definitely a contrast to the first few counts of track one. The swing-rhythm brought by the kick drum and percussion are soon accompanied by a trumpet and bluegrass guitar sounds. Track two definitely feels as if it leans more toward the Blues genre and makes me want to tap a foot along to the beat. The trumpet is a really cool element layered over the melody really ties the song together, and the lyricism is slow and folky and really allows for Spiegel’s jazzy vocal tone to shine. Betcha Bottom Dollar veers pretty far from track one’s rock vibe and feels more like swingin’ jazz music from the 1920s.

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In track three, Bridges To Burn, I hear a major tempo change as the beat slows right down and the energy of the music feels a bit sadder compared to the previous songs. The lyrics, “I never meant to be that kind of guy to cause such pain. ‘Cause I got bridges to burn.” show a real vulnerability to Lloyd Spiegel’s music and also bring that confessional element to the album.

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Christina is a song about a girl and brings the listener back to a blues/rock sound with electric guitar and an up-tempo drum beat. Smack bang in the middle of the track is another guitar instrumental highlighting how skilful and multi-talented Spiegel is. The end of the song introduces a female vocalist whose vocals overlap Spiegel’s seamlessly, and then the strong, raspy female vocals take us to the end of the track.

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Halfway through the album is the bluesy ballad titled The Price You Pay where Spiegel sings an open apology to what sounds like a woman who broke his heart. This has to be one of my favourite tracks on the album because it reminds me of jazz legends like Billie Holiday. Heartfelt, emotive lyrics like, “Broken man got a broken heart.” and, “She cut me so deep now, I can’t handle the pain.” are honest and relatable and you can feel the sorrow pour out of Spiegel’s voice as he recounts a painful memory from his past.

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Track six is title Man On Fire an opens with another smooth, but slow electric guitar instrumental. The drum tempo slows down again for this number, and the Spiegel’s vocals are more spoken-words than singing until the chorus break which is actually a funky and unexpected poetic moment.

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Candy Cane brings a real rock feel during the intro and the lyrics remind me of track one with an edgier rock vibe. The song is about a woman who leaves, “…a trail of broken hearts behind her.”, the title Candy Cane sounds like it relates to a pretty tough woman Spiegel has come across in his life. The tempo of this track is pretty slow but the heavy electric guitar layered on top of all the other sounds give Candy Cane a grungy rock feel. I am really enjoying the order chosen for the tracks on this album because it has distributed the songs in a way that each track I have been surprised, the heavier rock songs aren’t consecutively placed and neither are the softer, jazzy songs.

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Sweet South West Blues has titled accordingly, coming in starting real soft, and when Spiegel’s vocals come in you hear a real southern influence in his tone. The guitar in this track sounds more bluegrassy, and the beat reminds me of a Johnny Cash song. Sweet South West Blues is a crisp, blues number through-and-through taking Spiegel back to his roots.

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Beautiful and Dangerous opens with only drums, the tempo picks up with folky guitar layered over the top. This song is simple in delivery, but effective in relaying Spiegel’s message through the lyrics, “She’s Beautiful. Dangerous. She’s Mine.” Another small change in song style as this track has a folk/rock feel and not nearly as much blues compared to the last song another smooth transition between genres. This song probably has the least amount of singing keeping the focus of the sound directed toward the drum and guitar parts.

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Emerald City Sky is the tenth and final track on Lloyd Spiegel’s album Backroads due for release May 15. And yet again, Spiegel brings an unexpected sound to the album with a track which is entirely instrumental containing what sounds like only a kick drum, guitar and a percussion instrument. The mood of this song is ambient and transcendent, the feeling of daydreaming or laying in a field of grass watching clouds. Emerald City Sky is soft, like a lullaby and is like nothing on the rest of the album. The perfect sound to close Backroads and showcase Lloyd’s extraordinary talents and versatility.

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Fri 8 June

The Stag and Hunter, Newcastle, NSW

Sat 9 June

Camelot Lounge, Marrickville, NSW

Sun 10 June

Harmonie German Club, Canberra, ACT

Fri 15 June

The Skylark Room, Upwey, VIC

Fri 22 June

Hickinbotham of Dromana, Dromana, VIC

Sat 23 June

The Cabaret Club, Ballarat, VIC

Wed 27 June

5 Church Street, Bellingen, NSW

Thurs 28 June

Byron Theatre, Byron Bay, NSW

Fri 29 June

The Soundlounge, Currumbin, QLD

Sat 30 June

The Old Museum, Brisbane, QLD

Sun 1 July

Oddfellows Hall, Kempsey, NSW

Sat 7 July

The Piping Hot Chicken Shop, Ocean Grove, VIC

Fri 13 July

The Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne, VIC

Sat 14 July

Live at The Bundy – Bundalaguah & Myrtlebank Hall, Bundalaguah, VIC

Thurs 19 July

The Ellington Jazz Club, Perth, WA

Fri 20 July

The Odd Fellow, Fremantle, WA

Sat 21 July

The Wheatsheaf Hotel, Adelaide, SA

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Connect With LLOYD SPIEGEL:

Website       Facebook       Twitter      Instagram

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AMNPLIFY – KH