Alice Armstrong – Fury & Euphoria EP
It’s been a rewarding run of spring to summer months for independent, multi-award winning singer-songwriter Alice Armstrong, one of the most dynamically ranged and entertaining contemporary blues and R&B performers on the circuit.
In April Armstrong and her band - Olly Knight-Smith (guitar), Josh Rigal (bass), Kev Hickman (drums) and Stevie Watts (keys) - won the European Blues Challenge in Croatia; that same month she became Contemporary Blues Artist of The Year for the second year running at the UK Blues Awards.
Those accolades were followed in June by a performance at BBC Maida Vale Studios for BBC Radio 2’s Blues Show hosted by Cerys Matthews (with Greg Coulson in the keyboard seat).
And, now, Fury & Euphoria, the second of what will be a trilogy of studio EPs, each showcasing the different vocal & song-style personalities of the multi-faceted Alice Armstrong.
The eerie, echoing underworld sounds that introduce 'Persephone' set up a short, ethereal number where Alice Armstrong, in higher register, takes the role of the Greek Goddess to tell the tale of her abduction by/ love for Hades. It’s different, it’s intriguing, it’s Alice Armstrong.
'Punchline' hits a more tried and tested slow and swaying blues groove, anchored here by a subtle but effective rhythm laid down by Kev Hickman & Josh Rigal.
The song then builds to a heavier part, where the "I’m the punchline!" fury of Alice Armstrong takes centre stage, before playing out on a more soothing guitar & vocal outro.
'Good Love' is a Hammond backed contemporary rhythm and grooving blues that sits comfortably in second gear until a burst of feisty soloing from Olly Knight-Smith. The solo sets up a more forceful, Joplin meets Maggie Bell styled vocal from Alice Armstrong, interspersed with Knight-Smith’s dovetailing licks.
The short and staccato 'Bombshell' is the fun moment of the EP.
A quirky vaudevillian blues, the lyric tells of a handle with care femme fatale you had best look out for ("watch out here she comes, she got a hairpin trigger and a mouth as a gun… blackout, shot in the dark; before you even know it there’s a hole in your heart!").
'Scratching Walls' is the slow blues moment of the EP, but with a contemporary/ Amy Winehouse twist.
A tasteful solo from Olly Knight-Smith plays counterpoint to the song’s darker tone and Armstrong’s impassioned deliveries ("I’m all alone but that’s nothing new, this time I’m haunted by the ghost of you… here I am, scratching walls again").
A rhythm and funky blues cover of Cher’s 'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)' is certainly worthy of inclusion, but the best is left to last with six-and-a-half minute closing track, 'Autoassassin.'
A progressive, dramatic dark blues, the number features two very different Alice Armstrong vocal characters.
An almost childish, Kate Bush styled vocal leads the quiet stanzas before switching, quite dramatically, to Armstong in full vocal belt as things get heavy and, at times, quite anguished.
"You kill me fast when you love me… slow!" declares Armstrong (the various deliveries and power utlised on "slow" are worth the admission price on its own). The band too, are in fine, unified form here.
Alice Armstrong is neurodiverse and light sensitive (hence the trademark, and pretty damn cool, red-lens glasses); she also favours a love of the unusual and is a passionate advocate for inclusivity and body positivity.
In other words, Miss Armstrong is as exceptional an individual as Fury & Euphoria is an impressive showcasing of her artistry.
And there's more yet to come.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Link to The Blues Show episode featuring Alice Armstrong's Maida Vale Studios interview & performance:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002dmtl
In April Armstrong and her band - Olly Knight-Smith (guitar), Josh Rigal (bass), Kev Hickman (drums) and Stevie Watts (keys) - won the European Blues Challenge in Croatia; that same month she became Contemporary Blues Artist of The Year for the second year running at the UK Blues Awards.
Those accolades were followed in June by a performance at BBC Maida Vale Studios for BBC Radio 2’s Blues Show hosted by Cerys Matthews (with Greg Coulson in the keyboard seat).
And, now, Fury & Euphoria, the second of what will be a trilogy of studio EPs, each showcasing the different vocal & song-style personalities of the multi-faceted Alice Armstrong.
The eerie, echoing underworld sounds that introduce 'Persephone' set up a short, ethereal number where Alice Armstrong, in higher register, takes the role of the Greek Goddess to tell the tale of her abduction by/ love for Hades. It’s different, it’s intriguing, it’s Alice Armstrong.
'Punchline' hits a more tried and tested slow and swaying blues groove, anchored here by a subtle but effective rhythm laid down by Kev Hickman & Josh Rigal.
The song then builds to a heavier part, where the "I’m the punchline!" fury of Alice Armstrong takes centre stage, before playing out on a more soothing guitar & vocal outro.
'Good Love' is a Hammond backed contemporary rhythm and grooving blues that sits comfortably in second gear until a burst of feisty soloing from Olly Knight-Smith. The solo sets up a more forceful, Joplin meets Maggie Bell styled vocal from Alice Armstrong, interspersed with Knight-Smith’s dovetailing licks.
The short and staccato 'Bombshell' is the fun moment of the EP.
A quirky vaudevillian blues, the lyric tells of a handle with care femme fatale you had best look out for ("watch out here she comes, she got a hairpin trigger and a mouth as a gun… blackout, shot in the dark; before you even know it there’s a hole in your heart!").
'Scratching Walls' is the slow blues moment of the EP, but with a contemporary/ Amy Winehouse twist.
A tasteful solo from Olly Knight-Smith plays counterpoint to the song’s darker tone and Armstrong’s impassioned deliveries ("I’m all alone but that’s nothing new, this time I’m haunted by the ghost of you… here I am, scratching walls again").
A rhythm and funky blues cover of Cher’s 'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)' is certainly worthy of inclusion, but the best is left to last with six-and-a-half minute closing track, 'Autoassassin.'
A progressive, dramatic dark blues, the number features two very different Alice Armstrong vocal characters.
An almost childish, Kate Bush styled vocal leads the quiet stanzas before switching, quite dramatically, to Armstong in full vocal belt as things get heavy and, at times, quite anguished.
"You kill me fast when you love me… slow!" declares Armstrong (the various deliveries and power utlised on "slow" are worth the admission price on its own). The band too, are in fine, unified form here.
Alice Armstrong is neurodiverse and light sensitive (hence the trademark, and pretty damn cool, red-lens glasses); she also favours a love of the unusual and is a passionate advocate for inclusivity and body positivity.
In other words, Miss Armstrong is as exceptional an individual as Fury & Euphoria is an impressive showcasing of her artistry.
And there's more yet to come.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Link to The Blues Show episode featuring Alice Armstrong's Maida Vale Studios interview & performance:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002dmtl