The Staxx Brothers - 12th Street Blues - Album Review

4.5 out of 5

I met Davin Michael Stedman in the early months of 2003 while doing some promotional work for Eclectic Approach in Pullman, Washington, on the campus of Washington State University. Although that show never materialized I left Pullman with a few stories, as always, and an early EP and T-shirt from one of the most promising bands to come out of the northwest since EA and the Blue Scholars.

What first caught my ear about The Staxx Brothers was their seamless integration of hip-hop, classic rock, and the blues and soul from which they derived their name. The seminal record from that EP “Slowdown (12th Street Blues)” was a combination of memorable guitar licks, hard edged rhymes delivered by DC Staxx, a blind rapper from Detroit, and Davin’s ethereal lyrics and cutting edge music sensibility embodied by a Kanye West-styled soul loop chorus. Only this wasn’t looped it was performed live and Mr. West’s debut CD The College Dropout wouldn’t come out for another year. “Slowdown (12th Street Blues)” returns as the title track and although its utter brilliance has been dimmed by three years time it remains a great record.

The rest of the CD is a musical playground of a mixtape made by someone with a firm grasp of musical history. Another great track “Keep the Motor Runnin’” sounds like pure blues influenced classic rock while “Back Home” could have been ripped by a country music fan choosing that track that even the city kids will love. While genre-hopping is pretty much the modus operandi of 12th Street Blues none of it sounds out of place. Clocking in at exactly 46 minutes, its length may be its only downfall. But 12th Street Blues is exactly the length of one double-sided vinyl LP in homage to Staxx Records.

12th Street Blues by The Staxx Brothers is a definite must buy and one of my favorite records of the year. And while you’re at it pick up an old Otis Redding LP too.