Motorcity Josh & The Big 3 at The Compass - 20 September 2002

It's very rare you come across something genuinely different in the blues idiom. Step right up Motorcity Josh.

For while the band's blues ancestors clearly belong in the Albert Collins and to a lesser extent Albert King bag, the exuberant guitar playing, humorous vocalist Josh takes in the spirit of Elvin Bishop, adds an avalanche of swing, and tops it all with his own unique style of playing and big personality.

Motorcity Josh & The Big 3 are clearly a band for whom the notion of slipping into a groove all night would never be enough. Sure there's an insistent funky undertow to the title track of their last album "Going To The Country", but as the band demonstrated on the hugely impressive and humorous "Big City Hillbilly", they are not afraid to follow Josh's spontaneous flights of musical fancy which can be anything from a mid number rockabilly swing sweep to an extended, almost parody of an outro.

Topping all this unlikely mayhem is Josh's big toned guitar. The band had apparently barely touched down from a long haul flight when they had to drive to a couple of hours to pick up their back line, then drive directly to the gig, and without an pause for breath, blast straight into a wonderful set. And still the band conjured up an awesome fat tone!

On "Little Hoochie Mama", the band swing like crazy and Josh and brother Caleb on guitar traded licks with evident joy, while on the hugely impressive "The Funkin' Blues Are Killing Me" they came close to a smooth Percy Mayfield style that gave the band a great opportunity to stretch out… which of course Georgia's finest did to the max as the crowd roared them on.

Motorcity Josh can be filed under good time funky blues with tons of spontaneity and the contemporary ghost of Albert Collins and the occasional fishing song. You'll have to catch them live to realise the sweet soul funk of "The Skillet", and the basso profundo vocals of the remarkable Josh Ford.

Pete Feenstra - Soundcheck magazine