On May 19, 2011, at Nashville’s historic 12th & Porter, rock band Blackwater James took the stage. Their music caught my ear to say the least.
After the show, I had a conversation with lead singer and guitarist Christopher James. I congratulated him on a great show and told him that I wanted to give Blackwater James some ink. James quickly handed me some of the band’s CDs.
On the ride home, still in a rock ‘n roll state of mind, I listened to Jay-Z’s “99 Problems“. Not only did I pay closer attention to the Billy Squier sample, but I was also inspired to go back to my apartment and listen to Ice-T (the chorus and title to Jay’s 2004 single are taken from an Ice-T song from 1993). Even though I did not listen to the original “99 Problems”, I put in Ice-T’s Rhyme Pays. I immediately noticed that the title track samples Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs“.
Why the hell would the title track to a rap artist’s first album feature such a recognizable rock sample? Then I played Blackwater James’ EP, Vol. 1, top to bottom. I was blown away! And it finally hit me: rap is a form of rock.
Black Water James excellent musicianship falls nothing short of something that Rick Rubin would have put over a break-beat in the mid-80s. From Deanna Passarella’s fucking incredible guitar solo on “Closer to Free” to the southern rock vibe of “Feel Your Way”, any of Blackwater James’ stellar instrumentation could find a place on Radio, Licensed to Ill, or Raising Hell.
In a place like Music City, it is inevitable that bands will draw comparisons to one another. However, rather than saying what a band sounds like, it is more fitting to observe what that sound actually does. For all the hip-hop tracks out there that limit itself to drum machines and sped-up samples, Blackwater James reminds listeners of the staying power that classic American rock music possesses.
If Slayer’s Kerry King’s lead guitar on the Beastie Boys’ “Fight For Your Right” still holds up over two decades later, Blackwater James will be around for a long time to come. The sound that they create is good, timeless material, and is one of the reasons rap has been able to go from a niche market to the worldwide phenomenon it is today. Rock on!
