Gary Moore’s Back To The Blues
Moore’s blues pedigree is an honest one. Mentored by Fleetwood Mac
founder Peter Green as a teen, Moore has held his own with great guitarists
like Green and Albert King. As such, he’s no stranger to the sound he’s
created on Back To the Blues. Mixing original songs with blues
standards, Moore delivers a solid collection, his masterful six-string work
sometimes roaring, sometimes weeping, but always evoking the blues. The
album-opening “Enough of the Blues” is a bone-cruncher with snarling vocals
and red hot riffs. Tackling Albert King’s “You Upset Me Baby,” Moore tailors
it to his purposes with a brassy Chicago blues arrangement complete with tasty
horns.
Moore revisits T-Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday” in high
style, and the Yardbirds’ gem “I Ain’t Got You” is afforded a lush arrangement
with fluid guitar work that echoes the original. A Moore original, “Pictures
of the Moon” is an atmospheric tune, heavy on ambiance and spacey six-string
work that reminds me of Robin Trower. “The Prophet” is a wonderful
instrumental track, Moore expressing the collective history of the blues in a
six-minute display of musical virtuosity. The album-closing “Drowning In
Tears” features heavy, syncopated rhythms, Moore’s mournful vocals, and some
tasteful, minimalist guitar shuffling that is all the more powerful for its
sparseness.
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
If you’re looking for some blues to heat up your turntable, forget that
weak Eric Clapton stuff that you’ll find on display at your local record store
– “Slowhand” fell asleep years ago in my humble opinion. Seek out Gary Moore’s
Back To the Blues instead and experience a heartfelt performance from a
maestro still inspired by the blues muse. (Sanctuary Records, released
2001)
Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™ zine, 2001
Buy the CD from Amazon:
Gary Moore’s Back To the Blues
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