Altared is the second release by The Nancy McKeen Bluz Machine. The group out of Pittsburgh seems to have become more polished since their debut album a year ago. Altared is all original compositions, with the caveat that “King Bee,” is a take on the classic Slim Harpo tune and other similarly named tunes that are blues standards. A couple covers and a couple more originals and they might have produced a decent full length album. As it stands, Altared is a nice EP.

The opening cut, “Whiskey Makes My Man Mean,” is a nice country-blues tune with fine vocals by Nancy McKeen about a subject matter perfect fitting of a blues song. The title track is a song that sometimes lags and feels disjointed, but is a nice cut. “Grams,” is a rueful song that feels right at home in the lexicon of blues tunes. The aforementioned “King Bee,” is a nice original take on the classic tune. The closer, “Waltz of Redemption,” is a country-flavored tune that provides a change of pace from the preceding tracks. Nothing spectacular here, but as a whole, a solid output.

The Review: 7.5/10

The Big Hit

- Whiskey Makes My Man Mean

Review by Charles Dumez