Malcolm Holcombe 'Pitiful Blues' - Self release

     Those who are acquainted with Holcombe knows his ragged sandpaper worn world weary voice and songs that draw from the depths of pain and gritty hope. To capture the real moment of these songs they were raw recordings done live in a small home studio and the musicians were then added later in the process. The result manages to capture the essence of Holcombe while adding the depth of the additional musicians. This proves to be a worthwhile process and makes for something that may well be easier to assimilate that a purely solo situation might otherwise elicit.
     Again these are all original songs, tales of the haunted souls and moments of enlightenment. Songs like Savannah Blues, Words Not Spoken and the title track are deep, hurting blues that are perfectly enunciated by Holcombe’s lived in voice.
     Co-produced by Holcombe and long time collaborator Jared Tyler the result is one of the finest of his albums to date and something that those who have previously encountered the man live or recorded will be happy to have. This, his latest instalment of his real expression of pain and real emotions. Music made from the need to express some humanity in a world that is more usually about something more superficial.