Seasick Steve, You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks (Third Man
Seasick Steve plays the blues on an electric guitar with three strings removed. His proficiency on such a scaled- back instrument might seem miraculous to guitar fans, but probably not so astonishing to those who play the bass or ukulele. His playing isn’t particularly complex; mainly, he’s got a great sense of rhythm and he indulges in a host of textures and effects that underscore the central “Look Ma! Almost no strings!” gimmick. Whatever voluntary limitations he places on his playing, as with the bass or uke, they’re in service of a grander instrument, which in Seasick Steve’s case happens to be his voice and attitude.
His major accomplishment is to create a gruff stage character that’s a mix of busker and bar hustler, a guy who knows some really cool tricks and knows how to present them for maximum effect.
Which begs the question of how he’ll succeed with a well-produced high-profile studio album, without the flash of his popular series of live-in-concert YouTube videos. You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks acknowledges this by opening with announcing that he’s not just a one-trick one-string pony, opening with the subdued acoustic singer-songwriter fodder “Treasures” before moving into the accustomed economy-size pyrotechnics of the title tune.
It’s a sharp enough record, and will appeal to the same post-blues generation that eats up everything Jack White does. (The White Stripes showman didn’t work on this album but has anointed Seasick Steve by working on a couple of Mississippi Fred McDowell covers for him.) It also has a presold audience in England, where Seasick Steve got wide exposure on Jools Holland’s live music show and where this album was produced at London’s Air Studios. Ultimately, you can’t help but feel you’re missing something—the patter, the attitude, the actual thrill of seeing Seasick Steve mangle those strings and whack that wooden box in person. I have the same sense of disconnect from these songs as I had from the Beatlemania Broadway soundtracks or the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow album.