Twenty-three years ago, this quotation foretold a great career for Little Axe aka Skip McDonald. The musician had already had a taste of fame with the Sugarhill Gang Backing Band / Tommy Boy Co-operations and their Hip Hop Masterpieces, writing music history along the way. Then he rolled out Little Axe and gave the blues a new, groovy face...! Releases on legendary labels like Okeh Records, Realworld, On-U Sound and majors like Sony, BMG, Warner, etc. followed. On-U Sound label mastermind Adrian Sherwood has always given Skip a platform to present his entrancing blend of blues, gospel, cajun, dub and trip hop: pioneering and authentic at the same time. His sound takes the essence and sound samples from blues legends such as Howlin Wolf, Leadbelly and Son House and distils them to create musical visions that are both penetrating and highly hypnotic. Little Axe has released seven albums to date; London Blues is his eighth official album. Old mates, like Mark Stewart (Pop Group and Maffia), Doug Wimbish (bass player for Living Colour), Keith LeBlanc (drummer), Perry Melius (drummer for African Head Charge) have provided assistance – and JebLoy Nichols collaborated on writing. London Blues sticks tenaciously to tradition – to the blues – but at the same time is infused with a plethora of musical lingos (see above ....). The new album is packed with songs that glitter and shine with strokes of production genius and imaginative arrangements. On London Blues, Skip McDonald’s creative team is even more sophisticated and innovative than on the predecessor albums. Amazing instrumentals (Be Thankful), a touch of gospel (Deep River), splashes of trip hop with blues harp (Next Week Thursday) and delta blues meets dub (When I Rise) – the album meticulously follows a trail between Chicago and London, blending all the stepping stones to form a smooth, irresistible pathway.
