WOMAD

Sweet Baby James & Rob Eyers

From Australia

Something triggered in Sweet Baby James, 31, when he heard Eric Clapton’s song Cocaine at age 15. “He was playing a sound I had never heard before and it had me transfixed. I later discovered it was called the Blues,” he says.James’ debut album Rhythm ‘n’ Blues is a cornucopia of assorted Blues styles played with an electric energy. There’s delicate fingerpicking, growling slide guitar and sparse country Blues. Their raw sound evokes wild nights at the traditional juke joints in America's south.The album features renditions of Muddy Waters’ Can’t Be Satisfied, John Lee Hooker’s Boogie Chillun, Blind Willie Johnson’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine and lesser known numbers, though just as noteworthy. James’ original songs reveal his songwriting prowess.The Adelaide-based Blues guitarist was recently appointed as the Official Ambassador of the 2007 Australian Blues Festival and has shared the stage with Blues-rocker Jeff Healy and Canadian Blues queen Sue Foley. Rob Eyers, originally from London and now living in Adelaide, completes the duo on percussion.“Audiences respond to us because it’s clear we’re doing what we naturally do best: playing the Blues with obsession,” says James.