Lee Patterson

Lee Patterson “Razum Frazum” (LPMusic 2004) Available: Now. Self styled 'stompblues'- man Patterson sets Razum Frazum through three suites (Ra Bonez, Ra Blubberz and Ra Bollox). Acoustic blues that works best when chronicling life close to home on the streets of his native Edinburgh. Ed Hammill meets Irvine Welsh. 'Diddie Wah Diddie' is a clever re- write of the Chuck Berry classic 'My Ding A Ling' & 'You'll Dae' is a magnificent ballad delivered in the Scottish vernacular that is the real triumph of this set. With the largely acoustic format, fifteen tracks can make the record feel a little protracted but contains some great ideas throughout. Patterson, whose live shows are becoming infamous affairs, has an aggressive, gutsy style that continues to win him fans & awards all over Scotland. Razum Frazum could just be his ticket to a wider audience.


Americana UK, September 2004 - Americana UK

I should have guessed. The thing is, the amount
of ‘singer-songwriters’ around - women, and
blokes, with guitars, visiting open mike nights and
pushing together demos in their homes - is
frightening. And for all their earnest endeavours
and heartfelt emotion, they so often don’t cut it as
songwriters, not when the likes of Richard
Thompson and Leonard Cohen have gone before
them.
One of the best of this recent wave is one Scott
Macdonald, who, as it happens, has been
sharing a stage with bluesman Dave Arcari, and
this Lee Paterson fella. To live with Arcari’s
distinctive energy and Macdonald’s raw
songwriting talent would be a tall order. Indeed, I
was prepared to focus this review more on the
title - Muttley’s catchphrase of course, which
makes Paterson Dick Dastardly.
And like I say, I should have known. From the
opening acapella ‘Working on a Building’ via a
cover of ‘Diddie Wah Diddie’ and the epic ‘Roll
Calamity’ - decidedly non-acoustic - it’s quality all
the way. Patterson’s voice is smooth if a little
grizzled in the traditional sense, and touches on
various reference points without losing his own
identity - there’s a hint of Michael Marra on the
Scottish home poetry on ‘You’ll Dae’ while
‘Behave Yourself Chair’ harks as much to the
guitar work of John Martyn as the gravelly vocals.
To call him the Scottish Billy Bragg would do both
men a disservice - Patterson’s songs are more of
love and hate and dogs than purely politics - but
there’s a sense of the take-it-or-leave-it delivery
of the Bard of Barking in the Scotsman’s emotive
delivery.
“Drat and double drat!” chorus a legion of also ran
singer-songwriters as they turn off
Patterson’s CD and get back to the day job. - Is This Music?

Last up is the always-reliablle Lee Patterson. He's skinny, with awful knee-length khaki shorts, quite different from Dave Arcari's beefy man-in-black rock'n'roller look. But he mixes the passion of Arcari with the musicianship of Scott McDonald, playing some pretty fine self-penned songs. While his guitar playing is good, he's at his best when he ditches it and sings acappella, or accompanied only by a tambourine, bodhran, or foot stamps. Beware, though, buy his album and you only get a subdued version of "Human Suit", which was performed brilliantly here. Visitors to Edinburgh should look out for Patterson playing his brand of blues/country/soul/gospel for free in places like Whistle Binkie's - he deserves far more attention. - BBC Festival Revue

'What more can I say? Fantastic voice, lightning guitar, great songs; wonderful stuff...The audience roar at the end of this said much more than I could. A brilliant performance.' - Out of the Bedroom

'Stunning. This guy has so much energy it's frightening.
…Along with superb guitar picking and a rich, rich voice, I've never met an audience who could ignore him.
Lee Patterson would not be dwarfed sharing a stage with Richard Thompson or Dick Gaughan.' - Acoustic Underground