In Blasters chronology, it’s 20 A.D., two decades since Dave Alvin left the roots-rock band as its lead guitarist and primary songwriter. On 4-11-44, the group’s first studio album since his departure, original Blasters Phil Alvin and John Bazz plus guitarist Keith Wyatt and drummer Jerry Angel bring something old, new, borrowed and blues to the band’s repertoire. There is a greater reliance on cover versions (twelve of the fourteen tracks here), but the quartet doesn’t stray far from the Blasters’ brand of American music.
“Daddy Rolling Stone”, the opener, represents the old, with Phil Alvin adhering closely to the version he cut on his 1986 solo album Unsung Stories. The title track is one of two previously unrecorded Phil originals; a staple of the Blasters’ recent live sets, it’s a rousing tune about the numbers racket, with Wyatt’s steady guitar work providing an effective contrast to Alvin’s edgy vocals.
The band borrows “Dry River” from Dave Alvin’s solo catalogue, turning his acoustic lament into a Stax-styled soul ballad as Phil’s pleading vocal recalls Otis Redding. “Just To Be With You”, previously done by Muddy Waters, shows off the Blasters’ blues roots and highlights Phil’s harmonica work.
4-11-44 plays up Alvin’s singing and the Blasters’ strength as interpreters on covers of songs by Charlie Rich (“Rebound”) and George Jones (“Window Up Above”). It’s a promising, if belated, beginning of a new chapter in the band’s history.
