Crouch Hill Blues is the 6th and final single release from the album 'Gold for the Hungry Souls.' due out on July 15th 22 on Brotherly Music. Conceived on the W7 bus on the way home from Finsbury Park Station in North London, Kinzoogianna is reminiscing about all the great parties.
Enjoying the intense summer sun on a Wednesday afternoon, Crouch Hill Blues lasting 4:41, perfectly coordinates with the duration of drags of my Lucky Strike.
Lighting up, I hear the slow paced Herbie-Hancock influenced commencement of the track. The tune plays like an anecdote, with a dream-like undertone throughout. Imagine yourself getting on a bus in the cold London rain after a tough day at work, walking up the vertigo-inducing stairs of the double-decker, stabilising yourself on the shoulders of the empty chairs, until you find the perfect seat, for you and your bag to settle.
With the track resembling that of a '70s TV theme you gaze solemnly out the window onto the street-lamp lit street of Crouch Hill, and see a glimmer of light from slightly ajar curtains of a 2nd floor apartment where you imagine ‘Get Down On It’ was played for the first time, and like an epiphany you are hit with the energy of ‘Blues’ (a term from '70s West Indian culture for a house party) coming to the forefront of your mind.
Just like the title of the album I become ‘Hungry’, longing for the experience once felt here, and Kinzoogianna provides me with the ‘Gold’ for this.
The track builds up and is brought to life by Rob Mullarkey, (the other half of Stubb’s previous act, duo Brotherly), Richard Spaven in that on-fire rhythm section, with a groovy base and a strong trumpet which acts like a dancing partner. Visualise the vibrancy once witnessed in the North London borough.
Crouch Hill, an ordinary street in the Northside of London with not much history or substance, suddenly becomes the muse for this piece of music, showcasing how important the influence of music is in the characterisation of places and spaces.
As I come to the filter of my cigarette, the ending of the track sweeps back into reality, the groove is stunted with the hiss of the bus breaking and atmospheric London sounds of chatter, bus bells, traffic and sirens. These real life recordings show how personal this track is to Stubbs, whilst continuing to be a universally recognisable experience of reminiscence.
Putting the butt out in the ashtray, it really feels like the perfect final track for the album that allows to leave the entire journey behind. Soul feeling gold-ful.
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