It’s a little unfortunate that I’m writing this review in the midst of Anthony Weiner’s latest scandal — the jokes I could make are just a bit too easy.
But that’s not the kind of hammer Jonny Grave is referring to on his latest acoustic album. A self-described bluesman, Grave explores the quieter side of the blues on The Hammer, and it’s refreshing.
We’ve come to expect heightened emotion from blues music: yowling, swaggering sexuality, keening in despair. But that’s not really what people feel like when they have, well, the blues. We tend to be a little quieter, a little slower, a little more melancholy. The Hammer, with what I believe are a mix of originals and traditional songs, paints a more honest portrait of the blues.