The Northern South, Vol. 1

Whitehorse gathers no moss, rolling forward with a brand new EP called The Northern South Vol. 1, a project that takes the band deep into the Chess and Checker electric blues of the 1950s. With a pink Jazzmaster and a ‘new’ 1952 Martin guitar, Whitehorse takes a twelve-bar trip through a collection of chart-toppers that built rock n’ roll one sneakin’ cheatin’ no good man at a time. The first song out of the gate is “My Babe,” a spiritual-turned-secular standard made famous by Little Walter, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s only harmonica player, and written by bass player and hit-maker Willie Dixon. In Whitehorse fashion, Melissa brings the heat on bass while Luke lays jagged edged riffs over the duo’s signature step-by-step build-up, turning the ‘ain’t gonna take it’ tune into a meal. The Northern South isn’t simply a history lesson. Whitehorse aims to speak the blues in their own language; the project is about mining the grooves and paying homage to songwriters, great melodies and songs that lend themselves to Whitehorse’s distinctive approach and talents.

The blues can be sinister or silly, sweet, spiritual or a total party; Whitehorse manage to capture all of that on The Northern South Vol. 1...