Eilidh McKeller, from Edinburgh in Scotland, is already taking the music industry by storm with her smoky rasp and astounding guitar chops. At the age of just 20, she has recently released her debut album Delta Devil Dreams which is produced by Grammy award-winning Guy Eckstine.
In 2015, both the UK and US can look forward to a tour from Eilidh who has been a featured performer of the BBC Radio One Academy. Here is my review of her Delta Devil Dreams album (released on iTunes):
The album begins with the amazing ‘Summer Daze’ (a personal favourite and recommendation of mine) and Eilidh’s talent is instantly apparent. The track itself is slightly reminiscent of Alanis Morrisette and is an excellent choice to begin an album with. The second track ‘Hold Steady’ is much more funky in its style with the beat and further highlights the ability not only of Eilidh, but of her band, too.
‘Killer Joe’ is a much more traditionally heavy rock song and Eilidh’s raw rock vocals shine through. Although her musical style is very different, Eilidh is on a par vocally with Adele, Amy Winehouse and Gwen Stefani!
‘Home’ (Track 4) is a skillful blend of rock with a hint of soulful blues, whereas ‘Avenue E’ is a much slower, bluesy affair. Track 6 ‘Until The Sun Come Up’ is another personal highlight for me. It is a more contasting blend of soft rock and funk with a slight Beatles/Doors feel at times.
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Track 7 ‘Delta Devil Dreams’ is a heavier funky affair and is extremely catchy. Track 8 ‘The City’ again demonstrates Eilidh’s raw powerful vocals as well as amazing guitar riffs, the pace of the song seems to gel perfectly with the lyrics. ‘Preaching Lies’ (Track 9) seems to blend rock, funk, blues and soul. Not many would carry off such a variety of style, but Eilidh manages it easily!
Track 10 ‘Diamond Kiss’ is a faster moving rock track while Remedy (Track 11) has a more reggae feel to it in its introduction and again combines rock and funk. Track 12 ‘Cruel’ combines a rock and blues style effectively with unique guitar riffs. Track 13 ‘Dead Man Walking’ begins and ends mysteriously and captures your interest throughout. Track 14 ‘Fool’ demonstrates completely the talent and professionalism of Eilidh and her band as musicians and is a good choice to end the album.
I would particularly recommend this album to fans of Alanis Morrisette, No Doubt and Aerosmith.
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