| Discography | Review |

Blue ice. Platonic 001=Evidence ECD 26064-2 [5 tracks on CD] 1991. Jimmy Dawkins: v,g. Halldor Bragason: g. Gudmundur Petursson: g. Harald Thorsteinsson: b. Åsgir Oskarsson: d. Johann Hjörleifsson: d. Feel so bad (5.20) Welfare line (7.36) That´s alright (6.36) You don´t love me (4.08) Nightlife (8.35)

Review (++)

Jimmy´s comeback! Recorded during an Icelandic tour this is Jimmy´s first recorded tracks in a long time. The most interesting thing about this album is that Jimmy have found his guitar again. After ten years of thumbplucking Jimmy attacked the guitar as in his younger days. The songs reflects a typical Jimmy Dawkins show, some classics and an original or two in between. The band is a local icelandic one and they do a good job, their leadguitarist is inspired of the white english guitar heroes.

• Feel so bad
  After Chicago Beau have played 4 songs Jimmy steps in and the temperature rises several degrees. Jimmy´s guitar tone is compressed and ugly and his voice is mixed up high. I´d preferred the guitar more up front and an overall tougher sound. Jimmy live likes to jam and Feel so bad is a good warm up.
• Welfare line
  Jimmy plays a long intro, I don´t really like his sound, but he plays typical Jimmy Dawkins guitar. When compared to the other two Welfare lines, on Hotwire 81 and Blisterstring, this take don´t have the same intensity. Jimmy´s voice is, as I said before, high in the mix, and it´s clear Jimmy is no great blues singer. Where is the reverb? I heard Jimmy sing much better both on albums and live. The band tries to build a climax but the drums are a bit too stiff and Jimmy´s guitar never takes off.
• That´s alright
  This could have been much better! That´s alright has always been one of my favourite songs and Jimmy Dawkins plays some great guitar here. His opening runs are pure Jimmy Dawkins, but the band manages to transform this intense masterpiece to a jaunty blues song, which isn´t my cup of tea. That´s alright should be played deep down and dirty! In the end the second guitarist, Gudmundur Petursson, gets a chance to play an intense solo in the english tradition.
• You don´t love me
  This song fits the band much better than the more intense hardcore Chicago material. All I have to say is Shake your booty, brother. No funk, but a great dance tune.
• Nightlife
  One of the very first songs I heard with Jimmy Dawkins was this one. Jimmy was in Sweden (in 1985 I think) and played with the great swedidh band Mr Bo´s Bluessband. The Swedish Broadcasting Company recorded one show and the last song was Nightlife. Jimmy hadn´t played much guitar erlier in th econcert, but suddenly he exploded, and attacked the guitar like a maniac, holding notes forever and playing blistering runs high up on the neck. Jimmy doesn´t get that intense here, this version is still by far the best song on the CD, the band lurks in the back and I can almost see Jimmy close his eyes and wander around on the stage hitting notes he thought of the whole evening. Not a bad ending!