Under the Spell

• Artist: Dave Hole
• Rating:
• Release Date: April 20, 1999
• Total Time: 50:59
• Genre: Blues

Review

With Under the Spell, Australian guitarist Dave Hole and his veteran backup band manage to lasso in all of the energy from their live concerts, while under the roof of a usually antiseptic recording studio environment. All but three of the 12 tracks were written by Hole and rank among his best work to date. Rocking through "Demolition Man" and delivering a sweet soul-blues ballad with "Don't Say Goodbye," Hole once again expresses his musical diversity with a flair. He manages to remain a true original while still feeding off of his major influences -- people like the Rolling Stones, Muddy Waters, the Animals, Howlin' Wolf, and Muddy Waters. "Holding Pattern" rocks with a Stevie Ray Vaughan feel, and Hole's passionate vocals are a real treat on his cover of John Lee Hooker's "Run With Me." "More Love, Less Attitude" is an infectious groove that begs to be heard time and time again, and Hole simply smokes on the electric slide -- there are no two ways about it. Under the Spell combines excellent acoustic foundations, topped with blistering slide work and power-soaked vocals, to provide one of the finest blues albums of the year. The CD should be required listening for all fans and students of the slide guitar, as well as connoisseurs of the blues in general. ~ Michael B. Smith, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Short Memory	Dave Hole	Ric Whittle, Dave Hole, Roy Daniel, Bob Patient, Michael Vdelli	(3:49)
Run With Me	Dave Hole	Bob Patient, Dave Hole, Michael Vdelli, Roy Daniel, Ric Whittle	(4:50)
Blues Is the Truth	Dave Hole	Dave Hole, Roy Daniel, Ric Whittle, Bob Patient, Michael Vdelli	(3:29)
Holding Pattern	Dave Hole	Bob Patient, Michael Vdelli, Ric Whittle, Dave Hole, Roy Daniel	(4:48)
Bird's Eye Blues	Dave Hole	Dave Hole, Bob Patient, Ric Whittle, Michael Vdelli, Roy Daniel	(4:56)
More Love, Less Attitude	Dave Hole	Bob Patient, Roy Daniel, Ric Whittle, Michael Vdelli, Dave Hole	(4:20)
Yes or No	Dave Hole	Michael Vdelli, Ric Whittle, Dave Hole, Roy Daniel, Bob Patient	(4:27)
Demolition Man	Dave Hole	Michael Vdelli, Roy Daniel, Dave Hole, Bob Patient, Ric Whittle	(5:25)
Chicken Stuff	Dave Hole	Dave Hole, Ric Whittle, Bob Patient, Roy Daniel, Michael Vdelli	(2:55)
Lost at Sea	Dave Hole	Ric Whittle, Dave Hole, Michael Vdelli, Roy Daniel, Bob Patient	(2:49)
Cold Women With Warm Hearts	Sir Mack Rice	Bob Patient, Ric Whittle, Dave Hole, Roy Daniel, Michael Vdelli	(5:11)
Don't Say Goodbye	Dave Hole	Dave Hole, Roy Daniel, Ric Whittle, Bob Patient, Michael Vdelli	(4:00)

Credits

Dave Hole (Guitar), Mark Whitehouse (Mastering), Ric Whittle (Drums), Cliff Blackburn (Assistant Engineer), Randi Anglin (Photography), Dave Hole (Producer), Dave Hole (Vocals), Witold de Mann (Photography), Michael Vdelli (Guitar), David Forte (Artwork), Roy Daniel (Bass), Bob Patient (Keyboards), John Villani (Mixing), John Villani (Engineer)