Madden's bristling blues fascinate...

Bruce Madden
Talking With The Angels
BoneHead Records 002

West Michigan's Bruce Madden doesn't follow the rules, or at least not the rules for what passes as normal in modern blues music. And thank goodness for that.

Those who've seen Madden perform know that he's a brilliant harmonica hound whose haunting mastery of the instrument can turn barroom heads away from their side conversations.

But Madden also does a fair amount of damage with electric and slide guitar,
accompanied by his eerie, echo-enhanced vocals that spill out manic, dark
lyrics on songs such as "Coffin Bone," "Razor's Edge" and "Two Fallen
Angels."

As a result, what Madden describes as "raw rockin' blues and psychedelia"
comes off as an odd amalgamation of Captain Beefheart, The Doors and
neo-traditional blues with a spare, semi-psychotic, rock and roll bent. And
if that's not an intriguing enough menu to get you inside the restaurant...
well, there's way too much MTV and formatted radio in your diet. (For more
information about the CD, which already has gotten attention in blues
circles in New York and France, visit www.brucemadden.com)
Three and a half stars*

-John Sinkevics
Grand Rapids Press
USA

*Note: Rating key goes to four stars.