Neil Finlay and Peter Parnham – Stop and Listen

Neil Finlay has been a blues enthusiast since he first discovered the music some 30 years ago when he was a teenager. Although over the years he has been involved in many rock, country, Irish and dance music bands, it is the old-time blues to which he keeps returning. Stop and Listen is a collection of some of Neil’s favourite blues songs played in the blues thumping, finger-picking style on acoustic resonator guitar with Peter Parnham on double bass. Harmonica has been added to a few tracks in what adds up to an album of great Kiwi blues music.

Neil Finlay and Pete Parnham
– Stop and Listen
by Nick Charles
It’s always a pleasure to have
your love of a music style
reaffi rmed.
I came across Neil Finlay at the
fabulous Bunker in Auckland, one
of “the” gigs and was immediately
impressed with his faithful
interpretations of acoustic blues
gems from the golden era.
Neil and Pete, his fi ne bassplaying
partner, offer us a wonderful
collection of blues tunes from the
delta to Chicago to the east coast
Piedmont classics.
Along the way we hear songs
from some of the legends, Robert
Johnson, Big Bill, Blind Boy Fuller
and Mississippi John and are led
to some lesser known but equally
deserving bluesmen like Memphis
Minnie’s right hand man, Joe
McCoy, Tommy McClennan and a
personal favourite of mine, Kokomo
Arnold.
Neil and Pete give the uninitiated
some very useful background to the
songs and original artists in their
liner notes and point to some of thewonderful recordings that inspired
their music.
“Stop and Listen” is appropriately
named because it seems to me
in this fast changing world we
should never forget our musical
roots, and surely a big part of the
contemporary bluesman’s job is to
keep the fl ame burning.
Neil and Pete do a great job in
this department.
Neil’s a fi ne picker on his wood
body National as well as a deft blues
harp player and singer while Peter
holds a steady groove throughout.
The album is available through
Trad & Now and hopefully we’ll have
a chance at some stage to see and
hear this fi ne New Zealand duo in
person.
“Stop and Listen”.. What more can
I say.