Bex Marshall
Kitchen Table
House Of Mercy Records
****
Stunning second release from one of the UK’s finest female roots rockers, one girl, one guitar and oh what a great voice.

In the UK there are not too many female performers
that possess the magic three attributes, a great singer,
a great songwriter and a great guitarist. Bex Marshall
scores three out of three, her debut album BOOTLACE
received critical acclaim, but with KITCHEN TABLE Bex
has surpassed all expectations. Ten original compositions
beginning with the fine roots rocker and title track
Kitchen Table, a deep down and dirty delta blues about
the place the good old fashioned kitchen table holds in
everyday family life. The song displays lyrical mastery,
wonderful resonator guitar and a whisky soaked vocal
delivery reminiscent of the late great Janis Joplin or
indeed Maggie Bell. Just try and stop your feet tapping
away to this great opener. The pace slows down with
Red Light, just Bex and her guitar on this track, a slow
blues showing just how good a guitar picker she is,
acoustic or electric Bex is a fine example to any young
aspiring female guitarist, this is how it should be done.
If the similar sounding Duffy can be so widely accepted,
there is no reason why Bex Marshall cannot join her
as one of the UK’s leading female singer songwriters,
having the added bonus of being a superb guitarist
with a style all her own. Stand out track for me is the
superb Little Bird, this is one of those tracks that just
stays in your head, it flows so well you almost think
that you have heard it before somewhere, but no,
this is the song’s first outing, showcasing fine electric
lead and a chorus that you will be humming all day.
The more I hear Bex vocal I really cannot understand
why we have not heard more from this wonderful artist,
this could well change with the release of this fine album.
Mention must also be made of some very special guests
who appear on several tracks, Don and Dale Reno from
leading exponents of heavy bluegrass Hayseed Dixie,
their fast paced picking shown to full effect on
Hot Headed Man, and one of my favourite UK musicians
and producers Simon J Alpin, who co-produced the album
with Bex and plays a mean mandolin on Head In The Clouds.
Having said that, who really shines on this album is
Bex Marshall herself, mix the voice of Joplin and the guitar
Stevie Ray and you get a winning combination.
The live experience would be stunning; both in the large
festival arena or an intimate small show, the effect would
still be the same. From the information that accompanied
KITCHEN TABLE Bex will be touring the UK in the summer
to promote this superb release, definitely a show not to
be missed and certainly an album to add to your collection.



JHS