Michael Messer and Chaz Jankel
Virtuoso slide guitarist & songwriter Michael Messer (favourite of Johnny Cash) and multi-instrumentalist songwriter Chaz Jankel (Ian Dury & The Blockheads) released their debut album, Mostly We Drive – a finely crafted, lyrically inventive collaboration to universal acclaim.
These two superb songwriters wear decades of combined musical experience lightly, as the eleven original songs on Mostly We Drivedisplay a freshness of approach and add new twists to their foundational influences in blues, world, funk, new wave and rock. This exhilarating and accessible collection bears comparison with the finest work in either of their garlanded careers.
★★★★★ RnR magazine
“The quality of the playing is exceptional – they are both masters at their crafts – and the end result is an album of many highs and no lows. The music just flows easily.” Music News
“Slide guitar supremo meets Blockhead Chaz – Result: A philosophical, funny, funky, multi-faceted gem of an album, and that’s a description that I believe nails it. As you’d expect, there are copious servings of blues, all embellished by musical and lyrical twists that, for example, stamp a steadfastly 2024 British trademark on the product, or inject a surreal element to proceedings. There’s also a healthy chunk of Blockheads-like funk to be enjoyed and even a touch of pastoral English whimsy – and, despite the sometimes sticky subject matter of the lyrics, humour is seldom very far below the surface.” At The Barrier