Selwyn Birchwood - Pick Your Poison album review

The best Blues you can get this month

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Cover art for Selwyn Birchwood - Pick Your Poison album

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All catarrh vocals, clipped licks and voluminous Afro, Selwyn Birchwood’s 2014 debut Don’t Call No Ambulance made him the jewel in Alligator’s youth roster. Pick Your Poison won’t do him any harm either. The writing is versatile and tight, from the gospel of Even The Saved Need Saving to the self-arranged title track – and the lyrics always convince, whether he’s riffing on murdered black teenagers or drunk texting.

Henry Yates
Henry Yates

Henry Yates has been a freelance journalist since 2002 and written about music for titles including The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Classic Rock, Guitarist, Total Guitar and Metal Hammer. He is the author of Walter Trout's official biography, Rescued From Reality, a music pundit on Times Radio and BBC TV, and an interviewer who has spoken to Brian May, Jimmy Page, Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie Wood, Dave Grohl, Marilyn Manson, Kiefer Sutherland and many more.