The Wolf That House Built

"Taking their name via inspiration from Bob Marley's "Small Axe" & gospel singer Willmer 'Little Ax' Broadnax, 'The Wolf That House Built' was the first Little Axe album from multi-instrumentalist Skip McDonald and long-time collaborator, producer Adrian Sherwood. Over the years, both have worked with each other on many On-U Sound (Adrian's legendary dub-based record label) projects under the guises of Fats Comet, The Maffia (with Mark Stewart), Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System, The Barmy Army, Strange Parcels, and more besides... Before that however, Skip had been part of the Sugarhill Studios house band, where he helped cut the backing tracks for what became the first rap hits by the likes of Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaata, The Force MD's and others.

This album, which saw fruition in the mid '90s, centres on the blues form, and features a number of "choice" samples from some of the genre's greatest heroes. These are mixed in with loads of phat, yet understated grooves & sublime guitar licks. Add some great vocal melodies & near chants and you have the foundation for what is perhaps Skip's all-time masterpiece. Tracks like the opener, "Ride On”, "The Time has Come”, the ghostly "Crossroads”, "Out in the Rain & Cold” + the rest certainly make for a delightfully moody listening experience.

'The Wolf That House Built' also features contributions by a number of Skip's other On-U cohorts in the shape of Keith Leblanc, Doug Wimbish and Bim Sherman - all very talented and gifted in their own right.

By invoking one of North America's oldest & most revered musical styles, but bringing it into the 21st Century and beyond with said beats & sampling, Skip virtually invented his own niche - one that has continued to be most fertile indeed (check out his later CDs, they're great too). One could argue that R.L. Burnside's work in recent years is quite similar in approach, and it is, but Skip's music harnesses a totally different vibe. This, if nothing else, puts the Little Axe albums into a class of their own.

Yes, for some sincere & deeply stirring creativity, look no further than 'The Wolf That House Built'. It's an unsung work of art that's totally worth checking out."
-MARTY (15/08/2006)