Artist: Randy Lee Riviere

Title: Farmhand Blues

Year Of Release: 2025

Label: New Wilderness

Genre: Blues, Blues Rock, Roots Rock, Singer-Songwriter

Quality:  FLAC (tracks)

Total Time: 1:04:49

Total Size:  449 Mb



Tracklist:



01. Downtown (4:55)

02. Big On A Bender (4:22)

03. Farmhand Blues (2:34)

04. Bird Watchin' (3:52)

05. Alabama (4:55)

06. Linden Lane (3:45)

07. Moonlight (4:29)

08. Cynical (4:46)

09. If I Were King (4:39)

10. Mother Lee (4:46)

11. December 1980 (5:53)

12. You Aint' No Loving Woman (3:04)

13. Pecos (4:13)

14. On My Way On Down (4:11)

15. Dovetail Joints (4:31)



This is a rare time when a little vocal treatment is exceptional. It allows the vocals to embrace a big room Live sound. “Downtown” is fat-sounding, yeah – lots of atmosphere & spacious. The guitar has presence & grip. Randy Lee Riviere’s vocals are saturated with retro dynamics that give it an otherworldly kick. The harmonica’s haunting & well applied at the coda. Fortunately, Riviere’s good vocals don’t rely on effects throughout his LP.



What follows is a superb crawling blues in “Big On a Bender” — just enough attitude to guide a missile. Sometimes the devil doesn’t make a sound (that alone is a good blues title). You can dance to this; you can make whoopee, seductively smooth & nasty cool. Riviere has the right voice for these blues & he’s convincing. The guitar is equally shimmering. This skittles along with energy, & sass with Randy breathing new life into this old musical skin. He spreads Oil of Olay across the dry flesh of a vintage genre.



Even the more basic elementary title track blues of Farmhand Blues has value in its well-carved out vocals. Funky where it needs to be, dense & gritty in the margins. A good 2-minute old-fashioned blues. While “Bird Watchin’” makes Randy (vocals/guitar) sound older & the blues more commercially tethered, he still succeeds with his excellent ability to retain the tradition with more melody than a blues deserves. Nice intonation, phrasing & tone.



The Montana-based Randy (holds down the showboating, keeps a tight lasso on the blues cliches, & guides every nuance through a consistently convincing wool-cotton sound. “Alabama” is a blues, but it wears rock n’ roll threads, ironed & starched. Well dressed. The raunch factor’s drenched in vocal gasoline, the lit match is the guitars, & what drives the tune is the hint of danger – only suggested. Excellent. Elvis – if you’re still alive, cover this.



“Moonlight” & “December 1980” almost sound like legendary guitarist Roy Buchanan’s vocal (only better). “Moonlight” would’ve had more heft with Roy’s blistering guitar, but overall, both tunes by Randy are definitely a well-brewed keeper. “If I Were King” is another aurally satisfying excursion. To be expected. Wonderful.