128 Records artist:Claude Hay - I Love Hate You - New Release Review

I just received a copy of I Love Hate You, the newest release from Australian singer/guitarist Claude Hay. The opening track, I Love Hate You, is a very stripped down modern blues track a la White Stripes/Black Keys which actually quite cool. Next up is Good Times which has a more uptempo R&B style but still keeping it quite simple with mostly rhythm and vocals. There is one cool guitar solo on this track showing Hay's talent in this area. Stone Face begins with a simple slide solo but sets up with a complex funk beat and a more polished track that could easily gain airplay. Best Days begins with a simple guitar riff leading into a frantic vocal rant and then a more straightforward rock song. Where Have You Gone has the traits of traditional blues but fused with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's has a lot of the characteristics expected from modern radio play tracks with spoken lyrics, dance beat, guitar riffs and driving drums. Narrow Mind again begins with some slide work and simple rhythm. Vocal harmonies and solid beat will drive this track to the charts. Blues Train is really constructed like a bluegrass/rock track ... banjo and all. It's a toe tapper that will get you dancing if you like the snappy touch. Come Together, yes, the Beatles song, gets a bit of a backwoods sound to it with stripped down rhythm and acoustic slide guitar. Hound keeps with  Hay's characteristic stripped down blues sound, simple rhythm and slide work but with modern overtones. Turn It Up takes a total turn and begins with slap bass and heavy funk. This is a pretty cool track and the drums are full blown complimenting electric slide and tasty lead guitar work. Think Sly or maybe Infectious Grooves.

This is definitely different and is worth a spin! If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

Australian Singer/Guitarist Claude Hay Says "I Love Hate You" on New CD Coming October 16 from 128 Records

Australian Singer/Guitarist Claude Hay Says, I Love Hate You, on New CD Coming October 16 from 128 Records, Distributed by Burnside Distribution

NASHVILLE, TN – Australian singer/guitarist Claude Hay, whose last CD, Deep Fried Satisfied, became an international sensation with his ultimate Do-It-Yourself musicianship, is back for another round of amazing stomping blues/rock/funk on his new CD, I Love Hate You, set for release October 16 on 128 Records, distributed by Burnside Distribution. To listen to the title track, click on this link: http://snd.sc/OMuP3s

Hailing from the Blue Mountains near Sydney, the award-winning solo artist blends slide guitar, sitar, bass and drums to create a DIY masterpiece of music that is both highly creative and energized. Claude forges his live sound on the back of looping technology which allows him to create a band vibe without the band. This approach has seen this fiercely independent artist build an audience for his music globally with the release of his three home-made albums. To view a video of Claude’s live looping demonstration, click on this link: www.youtube.com/claudehay

Taking DIY a step further than most, Claude has built all his own equipment: there’s “Betty,” his double-necked guitar which he made out of a kitchen bench top; and “Stella,” his new Cigar Box guitar, which started its life as a six dollar baking tin. He’s also built his own dome house and studio from the ground up, and pimped out his tour van with a shower and bar (a great move when you consider how much time he spends on the road).

I Love Hate You is Claude Hay’s brand new third album and was recorded and mixed at Vader Studios (his home studio, with a huge back-lit Darth Vader mask overseeing production), and continues Claude’s move away from traditional blues and back to his love of rock – both alternative and hard – with his childhood love of 80s rock starting to show its influence. As on his last CD, he pays tribute to one of his influences; this time it’s a roaring take of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” which sits quite nicely among the album’s 11 other original songs. The signature slide is still there, along with the four-on-the-floor rhythms and gut-bucket sensibility, but new to the mix on album number three is an increased focus on guitar riffage, along with a more refined approach to songwriting and production.

This new release sees Claude in a rare collaborative mood on three tracks, with the addition of drums on one tune, the rhythm section of Sydney band Chase The Sun on another and a guest cello on yet a third song. The new CD was mastered by Australia’s acclaimed William Bowden. I Love Hate You is a concept album – dealing with the things Claude loves, hates and loves to hate. From loved ones, great gigs, motor vehicles and treacherous trans-continental bus rides, bad customer service and indifferent radio programmers.

I Love Hate You follows up Deep Fried Satisfied (2010), a very successful album for the indie artist that allowed him to get a foot in the door overseas. While promoting the launch of the album in the USA, Claude performed on National Public Radio and Deep Fried Satisfied promptly shot to number nine on the Billboard blues charts in response. The album went on to rank number five on Amazon’s top ten blues albums of 2010, with the track, “Miss You So,” polling third in the Best Blues Song of the Year category.

Claude’s affection for New York-style pizza was the inspiration for that album’s lead track, “Get Me Some,” which won the Australian Blues Music (Chain) Award for Best Song of 2011. A track about the aggravation caused by faulty printers, “How Can You Live with Yourself,” hit number one on the Australian radio chart around the same time. Kiss The Sky (2007), Claude Hay’s debut lo-fi masterpiece which began his solo career, still sells like hotcakes whenever Claude Hay performs at festivals and venues around the world.

Claude Hay will be touring in support of the new CD, with fall dates scheduled for Europe, followed by the USA in the spring of 2013, as well as numerous shows throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.claudehay.com.au.