Pete Cornelius and the DeVilles - Suburban Hell (Album)
Pete Cornelius has a tough life. Throughout Suburban Hell, he reflects on a world where women are either cheaters, liars, or cheaters who lie about their alcohol consumption. In fact, that’s all the really does, which is fine. Any ‘lack’ of lyrical depth on Suburban Hell is nothing against Cornelius. After all, the Blues has never been an avenue for deep introspective thinking, rather a belief that happiness is found at the bottom of a glass (an admirable philosophy).
In fact, the biggest compliment that can be paid to Cornelius is that the six covers he recorded for the CD fit in perfectly with his written work. They also show where he draws his musical inspiration from. With names like Nappy Brown (Coal Miner, Love Locks), Eddie Jones (Done Got Over It), Clarence Brown (Playboy Blues), Pee Wee Crayton (Don’t Go) and James Crawford (What’s Wrong?) it’s obvious that he has a deep affinity with a different generation of musicians.
Cornelius has also learnt a thing or two off the late Stevie Ray Vaughn. Many of Cornelius’s solos sound- for want of a better phrase- Vaughn-esque. With his guitar sounding as chunky as a plus sized model (sorry…), it feels like he’s adopted the Half-Step down tuning that Vaughn frequented.
It’s the combination of these influences that makes Suburban Hell such a strong Australian blues record. Granted, giving Delta Blues a modern spin is nothing new- Eric Clapton and his cohorts where covering Robert Johnson tracks over four decades ago- but Cornelius does it with more of a big band feel.
Suburban Hell sees him broaden his horizons (although only slightly). All the songs are still deeply rooted in the Blues- don’t expect to hear more than a few chord progressions throughout the CD- but now he his guitar has some musical company. The addition of both Saxophone and Keys strengthen many songs and gives the CD some texture.
These, combined with the use of an upright bass Cornelius drift away from a Hendrix/ John Mayer Trio kind of sound and into something you’d hear in a small blues bar. It leads to a more imitate kind of record, an atmosphere that is perfectly suited to Cornelius’s voice.
On Hard Times, Cornelius takes a step back, allowing other instruments the limelight. His carefully apprepiated guitar gives the other instrumentation -particularly the brilliant Saxophone fills- to shine through. It also exposes the biggest weakness of Suburban Hell.At six minutes deep, it outstays its welcome a little too long. Although they never descend into Allman Brother’s Mountain Jam territory, it does mean that some of the slower songs fall over themselves.
The quicker, guitar based tracks are when Cornelius excels. 3’O Clock is remorseful 12 bar blues that showcases some of his best guitar work, whilst No Good Woman is a typical lament on the evilness of the fairer sex. The albums highlight, title song Suburban Hell) sounds like it was ripped right off Vaughn’s Texas Flood (that’s meant to be to the taken in the nicest, most non litigious way).
Suburban Hell consolidates Cornelius’s reputation as one of Australia’s better electric bluesmen, not just only in his technique, but also in his musical sensibilities. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s still enjoyable.
