Mark Newman’s got this really steamy, smokehouse blues vibe going on with his music. An affectionate ode to classic American music tradition that dates back to the delta blues of the mythical 20s, revamped, given a fresh coat of paint, and done with all the care and precision of a surgeon.
Enter ‘Fill Up My Tank’, Newman’s first single for 2024, and the sheer amount of detail in it is astonishing. Based in New York, Mark Newman is a singer, songwriter, and guitar player who is boldly carrying all his influences proudly on his sleeve. But this song is particular in not originally Newman’s. ‘Fill Up My Tank’ is Mark Newman’s cover for Chris Armata’s original, which Armata graciously gave to Newman to cover when they were working on it, seeing how it was more in Newman’s style. And thanks to Chris for that.
Thanks to Chris also for providing the song’s only form of percussion, 4-on-the-floor finger snaps. The song is actually only composed of an acoustic guitar shock-full of classic blues rhythm licks, played with a slide, a juicy dobro, Armata’s snaps, and a creamy slick upright bass line delivered by Mike Hill. A terrific mix puts everything together, ensuring that the killer vibes are delivered to us in all their glory.
The fantastic performances from our trio, spearheaded by Newman, ensure a thoroughly enjoyable listen that will effortlessly take you somewhere completely different. A dusty bar in the Texan desert with my hog parked outside, after just filling her up with petrol. I’m grabbing a couple of drinks for the long road ahead on my road trip along the American South. Truly captivating.
