Seasick Steve: I started Out With Nothing and I Still Got Most Of It Left

I love the way the album opens with Steve’s southern hickey monotone accent declaring that he wrote the first song about nothing. His occasional narration and hazy introductions to tracks are reminiscent of Syd Barrett’s solo albums however it’s his bluesy guitars and homemade instruments that really sell this album. Steve Wold uses his personalised instruments to create his own take on the southern delta blues. This includes his “One Stringed Diddley Bow” and the “Mississippi Drum Machine”, a wooden box to stomp on to provide your own percussion. The songs are all beautiful blues numbers that feature quick picking and emphasis the importance of the gaps between those long sliding notes. Think of “Hats of to (Roy Harper)” from Zeppelin III and you’ll get a pretty good idea.