Ten Shades of Blues

Indigenous singer-songwriter Kev Starkey has seen a bit of life. Of mixed heritage – partly Adnyamathanha (Flinders Ranges in South Australia) and partly Saibai Island (Torres Strait) – he was raised in coastal Queensland and has worked as a truck driver, park ranger, and Aboriginal educator. Now aged 50 and based in Bundaberg he's finally decided to put his 30 years of playing music to the test with this, his debut album.

Recorded in the desert Arrernte country of Alice Springs, it's a straightforward offering, delivered in a folk-blues style, with honest lyrics, strong vocals and solid playing. Starkey's opening ‘Boogie Man (Paige's Lullaby)’ is delivered in an eerie Tom Waits-like slow growl, but is quickly followed by the more upbeat and optimistic ‘Breeze in My Face’. The relaxed ‘Verandah’ features swelling organ and honky-tonk riffing, before Starkey goes for the hard electric blues of ‘Fine’ and ‘Stride’. His ‘Soaked in Sin’ is a smoky confessional talking-blues, while the brief instrumental ‘Fire’ is a bit of simple acoustic picking.

While most tracks aren’t overtly indigenous, the closing ‘Cultural Sacred Ground’ certainly is. Giving his backing musicians a chance to stretch out, it features a traditional Luritja-Walpiri-Pintubi chant over Starkey's powerful preservation-of-culture and environmental lyrics.