Iowa blues competition winners Matt Woods and the Thunderbolts specialize in hill country stomp, replete with careening slide guitar, hollered vocals, pounding drums (Michael Swanger) and bass (Scott Cochran), and optional chord changes. Woods “ Fairfield ” and “County Road Blues” come strait from the tradition, as do predictable selections from RL Burnside and Fred McDowell. The self-released Be My Friend hits its stride when the band takes the middle ground, on lowdown covers of songs by Skeeter Brandon and CeDell Davis.
Tom Hyslop
Blues Revue April/May 2008
