Willem Maker has the right voice for this music, a laid back, smoky take on the blues. His slightly laboured drawl and short delivery drifts silkily over the exemplary guitar work.

Maker is at his most impactful when he launches into tales of growing up in Carroll County, Maryland, USA, and the heavy metal poisoning he suffered due to waste dumping it. 'Lead + Mercury' contains that quality of being deeply disturbing that the best blues has in abundance.

In fact Maker barely puts a foot wrong, and in the end this becomes the problem. 'New Moon Hand' is too slick for its own good. Maker doesn't put a foot wrong, but equally, despite demonstrating his clear talent he never sounds like he is pushing against, or even approaching the edges of his comfort zone.

Many of the songs here carry serious emotional heft, but others seem to devolve into a succession of phrases that sound appropriately blues-y but never link together to form a truly great song. The music can be equally lacking in thrust. Clearly everyone involved knows their way around their instruments with a fair degree of skill. But they never seem to click into a whole that is more than the sum of their parts.

Still, while in places it fails to make a lasting impression, 'New Moon Hand' is enjoyable in its entirety and Maker is another man worth watching on the ever reliable Fat Possum label.



Track Listing