Archive Review: Gary Moore’s Live At Montreux 2010 (2011)

A restless soul, seemingly from day one, the late guitarist Gary Moore was never satisfied with pursuing a single style of music. While his roots were in the blues, and his first band of note – the original Skid Row – was firmly a part of England’s thriving late ‘60s blues-rock scene, Moore jumped from bands and styles as easily as changing shirts, playing with Thin Lizzy (hard rock), Colosseum II (jazz-rock fusion), and Dr. Strangely Strange (folk-rock), among others. As a solo artist, Moore excelled at the blues, hard rock, and heavy metal while, as a hired gun in the studio, he recorded with artists as diverse as Greg Lake and Keith Emerson (ELP), the Beatles’ George Harrison, the Beach Boys, and even bluesman Otis Taylor.

Moore was at his best as a live performer, and he has a half-dozen live discs in his catalog. He was as close to a regular at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland as an artist could be, first appearing at the famed event in 1990 and returning for performances six or seven times subsequently. Sadly, the guitarist’s July 2010 performance at the festival would be his last, albeit one of his best. Reuniting with estranged former bandmate Neil Carter (UFO, Wild Horses), Moore put together a new band to tour the summer of 2010, leaving much of his blues-oriented material of recent years behind in favor of a hard-rocking bit of nostalgia for material from his mid-‘80s albums recorded with Carter. Moore’s Live At Montreux 2010 is the last recorded work from the legendary guitarist, and a perfect showcase for his multi-faceted talents as a singer, guitarist, and songwriter.

Gary Moore’s Live At Montreux 2010

Starting with a thundering drumbeat, Moore asks the crowd, “are you ready?” before launching into the lightning-strike intro to his classic Celtic-rock gem “Over the Hills And Far Away.” A U.K. hit from his 1987 Wild Frontiers album, the performance here takes on an eerie, ethereal feel with Moore’s elegant fretwork dancing atop the band’s crashing instrumentation. Moore’s recurring riff hits hard, his solos cut to the bone, the band chimes in with gang-fight harmonies, and the song’s wistful, poetic lyricism is a testament to Moore’s often-overlooked, anthemic songwriting skills.

Another mid-‘80s U.K. hit, “Military Man,” was originally performed by Moore’s friend and former bandmate, Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott. Taken from 1985’s Run For Cover album, the song’s anti-war screed is bolstered by a martial rhythm, screaming guitars, and explosive bass and drums before it breaks down into an obviously Lynott-styled soulful vocal break, which itself is accompanied by a beautiful, winsome Moore solo. The Top Five hit “Out In the Fields,” from the same album, was a Lynott/Moore duet; here it’s performed more forcefully than the original, with rapidly-paced rhythms, vocal harmonies almost buried beneath the instrumentation, and taut fretwork that walks a fine line between hard rock and heavy metal in style and fury.

Back To The Blues

 
Moore’s 2010 Montreux performance wasn’t totally devoid of the guitarist’s blues influence. The mid-tempo ballad “Where Are You Now” displays a certain bluesy hue in both Moore’s somber, melancholy vocals and in some of his rattling guitar phrases. Moore’s pastiche of the instrumental “So Far Away” with his own “Empty Rooms” is another example; the former cleverly mixes jazzy licks and a blues undercurrent with a rock ‘n’ roll heartbeat while the latter blends blues and rock guitar beneath Moore’s mournful vocals. An inspired cover of Jimmy Rogers’ Chicago blues classic “Walking By Myself” is pumped up on steroids, rocking full-tilt with swinging rhythms and Moore’s fluid guitarplay layered in behind his playful, joyous vocal performance.   

Live At Montreux 2010 includes the performance of three new songs that Moore had written for what was going to be a Celtic rock-styled album that would be interrupted by his tragic death. “Oh Wild One” is the best of these, a rollicking, raging ode to a friend (Lynott?) that displays some of Moore’s most powerful, albeit nuanced fretwork. The song is a cross between Thin Lizzy and the Pogues, and is Irish to the bone. “Days of Heroes,” another new song, is Moore’s take on early Lizzy, an anthemic toast to days gone by with Celtic-flavored twin guitars, a larger-than-life soundtrack, Moore’s passionate vocals, and a monster solo that takes the guitarist around the world, from Ireland to the U.K. to American blues, and back to the Emerald Isle. The album closes with another Lynott co-write, the hauntingly beautiful “Parisienne Walkways,” wherein Moore reveals his Peter Green influences with a tearful ballad that showcases both the guitarist’s softer, bluesy side and his heavy metal shred.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Truth is, there’s but a scattering of blues to be found on Live At Montreux 2010, mostly in the grooves of a handful of songs, and all over the wonderful “Walking By Myself” cover. But that eclecticism is a large part of Moore’s appeal to his fans…much like his contemporary Jeff Beck, one never knew where Moore’s muse would take him.

Fans of Moore’s edgy blues-rock albums like Scars or Bad For You Baby might be disappointed by this one, while those of us who appreciate Moore in whatever milieu he chose at the time of recording will delight in Live At Montreux 2010 as not only a document of a stunning performance, but a fitting and proper swansong for the artist as well. (Eagle Records, released September 20, 2011)

Also on That Devil Music: Gary Moore’s Blues For Jimi album review

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Gary Moore’s Live At Montreux 2010

Archive Review: Gary Clark Jr.’s Live (2014)

Texas blues guitarist Gary Clark, Jr. made quite a splash with his full-length 2012 major label debut Blak and Blu. The album’s mix of incendiary fretwork, soulful vocals, electric blues, and old-school R&B with a hip-hop edge turned many people’s heads, announcing that a major new talent was on the scene. Clark was “discovered” by Eric Clapton, who invited the young guitarist to the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival, his subsequent history-making performance (captured on the DVD of the event) gaining Clark a major label contract and a certain degree of notoriety.

Still, as good as Blak and Blu might have been, many still had doubts – especially the blues cognoscenti, who were hoping for another Stevie Ray Vaughan clone (as if we didn’t already have enough of those ragdolls gigging around…) – while traditionalist shook their collective heads in mild disdain. Truth is, Clark was already a seasoned veteran by the time that Clapton enlisted the guitarist to bring a shot of vitality to the Crossroads event. Some 26 years old in 2010, Clark had been playing in and around Austin, Texas since he was a young teenager, and he already had three independently-released albums under his belt by the time he took the stage at Crossroads.  

Gary Clark Jr.’s Live

In spite of his experience, Clark’s Blak and Blu came as a revelation to many of us, and the album’s accessibility, along with the talent on display in the grooves, helped enlist a legion of new blues fans to the genre. Blak and Blu rose as high as number six on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, and dominated the blues chart for over a year from either the number one or number two position. Still, many critics put down the album’s overly-slick production qualities, with producer Rob Cavallo sanding down every rough edge to make the songs pop-radio friendly. Too, many questioned Clark’s dedication to the blues in the face of the album’s rock and hip-hop influences. Nobody stopped to think that the guitarist was simply having fun with his sonic palette and the possibilities his talents enable. No matter, ‘cause Clark’s two-disc Live set should put paid to any critic’s concerns.

The opening chords of Live should put to rest any doubts about Clark’s blues authenticity. Tackling the traditional “Catfish Blues,” credited to Muddy Waters by way of Robert Petway, the young guitarist imbues the performance with plenty of Delta mud, but embroiders the antique arrangement with bluesy, psychedelic-tinged guitar that owes as much to Jimi Hendrix as it does to any Mississippi string-bender. Clark proves his songwriting bona fides with the original “Next Door Neighbor Blues,” a stomping, snortin’ blues-rock dirge with huge dinosaur guitar riffs, distorted guitar, anguished vocals, and finely-crafted story-song lyrics that one could easily hear Howlin’ Wolf wailing away on while Hubert Sumlin tears up the guitar behind him.

Three O’ Clock Blues

Clark displays his flexibility as an artist and performer with the raucous “Travis County,” a rollicking, rockabilly-tinged, Chuck Berry-styled runaway train that lyrically features another tale of woe while the band choogles along at 90mph, drummer Johnny Radelat keeping time with the biggest of beats. The performance is enhanced by dueling solos, rhythm guitarist King Zapata bringing the twang while Clark adds the blistering heat. The highlight of the first disc, however, is Clark’s nuanced cover of B.B. King’s classic “Three O’ Clock Blues.” The young guitarist perfectly captures the master’s blend of jazzy licks and bluesy ambiance, his tortured vocals channeling plenty of emotion and heartbreak. It’s an inspired performance, and one that proves that the blues run deep in Clark’s soul.

The second disc of Live opens with the thunder and lightning of Clark’s “Ain’t Messin ‘Round,” the band playing an extended instrumental intro that’s heavy on the martial rhythms while Clark and Zapata throw around guitar licks like laser beams. Clark’s vocals are smooth, with just a hint of fracture around the edges, evoking memories of old R&B crooners like Otis Redding or Solomon Burke, but the soundtrack is pure Southern soul with a bit of rock ‘n’ roll. Clark further shows the depth of his blues knowledge with a spot-on cover of Albert Collins’ “If Trouble Was Money.” With a shimmering six-string intro that sounds like sun glinting off a sheet of ice, Clark lays down a vibe every bit as frosty as the Iceman once did. Clark plays it straight, mimicking Collins’ existential angst while still managing to bring a contemporary relevance to the song – after all, neither trouble nor money ever go out-of-date.  

Third Stone From The Sun

One of the high points of Blak and Blu was Clark’s mash-up of Hendrix’s “Third Stone From The Sun” with Memphis bluesman Little Johnny Taylor’s “If You Love Me Like You Say” (a song also covered by Collins, and Danny Gatton too, among others). The fusing of two apparently different styles (and eras) sound like it would be a ramshackle construction at best, but in Clark’s hands, he finds the energy at the heart of both and welds them together with his incredible fretwork. The fluid psych-drenched instrumentation of “Third Stone” evolves organically into a funky Bluff City backbeat, Clark’s delivery of Taylor’s tale of love-gone-bad perfectly framed between heartbreak and bravado, the argument further bolstered by Clark’s shape-shifting solos. By contrast, Clark’s “Please Come Home” is a lovely throwback to 1950s-era R&B, a doo wop inspired vocal showcase worthy of the Platters or the Drifters, but with red-hot guitar notes in place of the backing harmony vocals.

The title song of Blak and Blu is of a similar cloth as the “Third Stone/If You Love Me” hybrid, Clark drawing inspiration from jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron in the creation of a mesmerizing, altogether haunting performance that sparks and fades like a dying star. “Blak and Blu” is a strong song on the studio album, but on stage it takes on an otherworldly vibe, Clark’s wistful, almost melancholy vocals are punctuated by sharp shocks of guitar, the song depending entirely on the strength and charisma of the performer to pull it off. Much like the studio album, the song slowly unravels into “Bright Lights,” a blustery hard rocker that hits your ears like a 2x4 plank by comparison, the guitars getting louder and heavier, the vocals exploding out of your speakers with passion and force. This is a man that has a story to tell, and you’d best shut up and listen…and if you don’t, well, the song’s serpentine riffs and squealing feedback will make sure you pay attention. It’s a powerful performance, Clark and Zapata trading solos like battling kung fu masters, bassist Johnny Bradley and drummer Radelat providing a heavyweight rhythmic canvas behind the guitarists for them to paint on.    
 

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Gary Clark Jr.’s Live offers 15 electrifying tracks, and there’s not a duff performance among any of ‘em! Stripped of the studio gloss provided Blak and Blu in order to appeal to the iPod generation, these songs sizzle and burn in a live setting like hot embers in a barely-constrained bonfire. Live allows Clark and his band to stretch the material out to its natural-born length, with plenty of room for Clark’s ballistic solos, and with audience feedback driving the band to dig that much deeper and bring their best to every song. This is the way that Gary Clark, Jr. was meant to be heard – live and unadorned with studio gimmicks or slick production tricks. It wouldn’t be a sin if Clark decided to record his next studio album in front of a live audience but, in the meantime, if you’ve wondered what the buzz around Clark is all about, Live will set you straight in no uncertain terms. (Warner Brothers Records, released September 23, 2014)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Gary Clark, Jr’s Live

Archive Review: Gary Clark, Jr.’s Blak and Blu (2012)

Gary Clark, Jr. is the most exciting thing to happen to a stolid blues scene since, well, since fellow Texas gunslinger Stevie Ray Vaughan blew out of the Lone Star state like a whirlwind and upset the slumbering status quo back in the early 1980s. Plucked out of relative obscurity in 2010 by Eric Clapton who, perhaps, saw something of past glories in the young guitarist, Clark had his coming out party at that year’s Crossroads Guitar Festival.

After releasing a trio of independent albums on the Hotwire label, Clark’s association with the blues-rock legend led to a major label deal and the critically-acclaimed The Bright Lights EP, which has spent the better part of the last year hanging around the upper-reaches of the Billboard magazine blues chart alongside such heavyweights as Joe Bonamassa, Bonnie Raitt, and the Tedeschi Trucks Band. So, is Clark the 21st century savior of the blues or just another pretender to a long-vacated (and largely imaginary) throne? He’s certainly no pretender, and while the book has yet to be written on his lasting influence on a blues scene that often refuses to budge easily, this much is certain – Blak and Blu is a stunning, ground-breaking work.

Gary Clark, Jr.’s Blak and Blu  

For Clark’s newfound fans – who have waited better than a year for his full-length debut album – it’s unlikely that they’ll be disappointed by the guitarist’s magnificent Blak and Blu. Not even The Bright Lights EP could have prepared listeners for the stunning depth of songs like “Ain’t Messin’ ‘Round,” which seamlessly blends brassy old-school R&B with a Memphis soul groove and a rock ‘n’ roll heartbeat to one-up the Black Keys at their own game (including the tasteful Steve Cropper-styled guitar licks). Clark enjoys his Jimi Hendrix moment with the bold, bigger-than-life blues-rock dirge “When My Train Pulls In,” the song mixing a Delta blues spirit with an undeniable Stevie Ray Vaughan vibe, Clark’s tortured solo leading out of the song sending shivers down the spine of any true guitar fan.

Clark is no two-trick pony, however, venturing beyond blues and soul and onto avant-garde turf with the chilling title track, a tear-jerking tale of abuse that displays a jazzy edge in its sampling of the great Gil Scott-Heron, the song firmly rooted in the blues as it also picks and chooses from Albert King’s classic “As the Years Go Passing By.” The result sounds like early Prince and achieves more, via its eclectic instrumentation, than anything the Purple One has done in the past decade. On the flip-side, “Travis County” is a Bruce Springsteen-styled poop-punter with rockabilly leanings and an infectious backbeat. The doo-wop flavored “Please Come Home” comes fully-packed with strings and vocal harmonies, like an old Etta James joint from the late 1950s or early ‘60s, Clark showing off his singing chops with elegant Smokey Robinson-styled vocals, but his lively guitarplay evinces a later, more emotionally fraught time and place.

Third Stone From The Sun

The insightful lyrics of “The Life” are matched by a melodic amalgam of neo-soul, hip-hop, and funk while the heavy “Numb” is a snarling beast armed with molten riffs and tusk-gnashing rhythms. Clark’s mash-up of Hendrix’s “Third Stone From the Sun” with Little Johnny Taylor’s “If You Love Me Like You Say” (best known from Albert Collins’ Frostbite LP) provides plenty of cheap thrills, jumping off with the crash and rattle of ringing guitars and sporadic drumbeats. The swirling psychedelic blues-rock instrumentation (sans vocals) quietly and quite suddenly evolves into “If You Love Me Like You Say,” Clark’s approach to the song adding a bit of sly Southern funk to Collins’ original reading of the song.

Clark changes directions one last time with the acoustic-blues stomp ‘n’ stammer “Next Door Neighbor Blues,” the song itself a sort of dichotomy, its contemporary lyrics gussying up an undeniably Delta-influenced soundtrack. Clark’s voice is altered electronically to mimic the echo found on those old 78rpm records, maybe even rising up a notch in pitch to sound more like an old Tommy Johnson side, but there’s no arguing with the result, the guitarist’s spry fretwork chiming like Son House, the song riding a razor’s edge between modern chic and authentic Mississippi throwback.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Music lovers are going to rejoice over Clark’s debut even as blues purists are gonna hate, but the truth is that Blak and Blu marks the emergence of a major talent who is bringing his love of blues and soul to mainstream audiences. Regardless of whether or not we’ve heard it all before, we’ve never heard it quite like this – as Gary Clark, Jr. puts his own unique stamp on the familiar, he walks further down the path blazed by Clapton, Hendrix, Vaughan, and few others, venturing beyond their footsteps to mark a direction for others to follow in the future. Blues, welcome to the 21st century! (Warner Brothers Records, released October 22, 2012)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Gary Clark, Jr’s Blak and Blu

Archive Review: Gary Moore’s Blues For Jimi (2012)

Irish-born blues-rock guitarist Gary Moore has never made any secret of the impact that his musical influences have had on his decision to pick up a guitar and subsequently forge a lengthy and acclaimed career from his talents. From British blues pioneer Peter Green’s work with John Mayall and Fleetwood Mac to Delta blues legend Robert Johnson’s groundbreaking art, Moore’s largish back catalog is littered with references and inferences to these important artists.

American blues-rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix is another musical giant who has had a powerful effect on Moore’s career, beginning with his late 1960s blues-rock trio Skid Row and throughout his prolific solo career. In October 2007, as the Hendrix estate was preparing to release Jimi’s Live At Monterey album, Moore performed a unique concert at the London Hippodrome. With his touring band at the time – bassist David Bronze and drummer Darrin Mooney – Moore cut loose with a lengthy set of classic Hendrix material. This London Hippodrome concert was filmed and released as Blues For Jimi on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray disc, the first posthumous release by Eagle Rock since Moore’s unexpected death in February 2011.

Gary Moore’s Blues For Jimi

The album starts out promising enough with “Purple Haze,” the song’s familiar screaming psychedelic-colored intro jumping things off. As Moore’s vocals slide into the first verse, however, one can easily hear the difference between Hendrix’s original warm, mellifluous voice and Moore’s gruffer, strained tones. Moore embellishes Jimi’s original soundtrack for the song with a few tasty flurries of notes, especially the finishing thunderstorm of sound and fury, redeeming the performance by strength of will.

“Manic Depression” begins in much the same way, with a chaotic instrumental opening that, by now, is encoded in the Hendrix fan’s DNA. Moore’s vocals are buried somewhat deep here in the mix, and he’s singing at a different register that’s closer to Jimi’s soulful wail. The fretwork is stellar, however, wrestling with Jimi note for note in some instances, taking off and soaring into the stratosphere in others. Moore’s vocal shortcomings are quite evident on the slower, ballad-styled songs like “The Wind Cries Mary,” the guitarist simply unable to achieve the nuance and emotional tenderness that provides a counterbalance to the song’s lofty guitar tones.

I Don’t Live Today

Hendrix’s “I Don’t Live Today” was one of the legend’s best blues-rock songs, and while Moore opens up the arrangement to allow for his own unique brand of six-string pyrotechnics, overall the performance is true to the spirit, if not the letter of the original blockbuster. Moore’s trippy, psych-drenched solo three-minutes or so in is matched by the furious backdrop of Dave Bronze’s powerful bass foundation and drummer Darrin Mooney’s explosive, unrelenting barrage of percussion.

Moore’s original instrumental intro into “Angel” is hauntingly beautiful, albeit too brief by a mile, leading into the song with his vocals softer and more effective here than previously. Moore manages to capture a modicum of the wistfulness displayed by the original, an emotional edge bolstered by his spot-on mimicry of Hendrix’s pitch-perfect guitar lines, save for a big closing which is stunning in its intricacy and elegance.

Billy Cox & Mitch Mitchell

Longtime Hendrix friend and bassist Billy Cox and original Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell join Moore and his band for a trio of their favorite Hendrix songs, beginning with the blustery blues-rock romp “Red House.” Moore lays down his strongest, bluesiest riff yet for the song’s opening, the performance itself a welcome slow grind of stinging guitar notes and solid, if unspectacular rhythms. Moore’s fretwork is simply incendiary, stretching the song out to an entertaining eleven-and-a-half minutes with quiet solos and raucous crescendos of sound alike accompanied by sparse backing instrumentation.

By contrast, Hendrix’s signature “Stone Free” frequently descends into sonic anarchy with swirls of bass and drums punctuated by razor-sharp guitar licks. Moore rejoins his regular band for the classic Jimi rocker “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” its familiar instrumental gymnastics re-created here with reckless abandon, Moore banging his plank and coaxing out sounds even Hendrix would find alien as the Bronze/Mooney rhythm section strikes your ears like a wrecking ball. It’s Moore’s red-hot fretwork that rolls you over, though, striking like a cobra and generating enough raw electric amperage to power a small Irish village for a month.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

The best part of Blues For Jimi is when Moore stops singing and just plays his guitar, his vocal performance on this classic material frequently falling short of even second-tier Hendrix doppelgangers like Arthur Lee or Lenny Kravitz. While I have no doubt that Moore is doing the best with what he has to work with, his voice just isn’t up to the chore of covering this many classic, too-familiar musical treasures either on stage or on record.

Moore doubles-down on the guitar fireworks, however, delivering an inspiring instrumental performance in these grooves that allows the listener to (mostly) forget the vocal shortcomings and instead enjoy the heartfelt tribute that is Blues For Jimi. This is maybe not the swansong that Gary Moore would have wanted, but it’s a neat bookend to a career spent in sincere awe and admiration of those artists that influenced a young Irish lad to pick up the guitar in the first place. (Eagle Records, released September 25, 2012)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Gary Moore’s Blues For Jimi 

Archive Review: Freddie King’s The Complete King Federal Singles (2013)

As blues historian and music journalist Bill Dahl points out in his exhaustive liner notes for the wonderful Freddie King set The Complete King Federal Singles, while the legendary guitarist is usually seen as a Texas blues firebrand, King actually spent better than a decade circa 1950 to 1963 living and playing in Chicago. Originally mentored by guitarists like Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, and Robert Jr. Lockwood, King became one of the innovators of the West Side sound along with other young six-string talents like Magic Sam and Otis Rush.

As Dahl also points out, it was the twin influences of Texas bluesmen like T-Bone Walker and Lightnin’ Hopkins and the blues he heard, and played, in Chicago that made Freddie King a unique figure on the modern blues scene. More than any of his peers, King enjoyed modest success on the pop charts, primarily through the better than two-dozen singles he released on the associated King and Federal Records labels between 1960 and 1967. Freddie’s melodic licks and unique finger-picked guitar style, as heard on these singles, would be a major influence on a generation of British blues-rockers like Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.  

Freddie King’s The Complete King Federal Singles

Sadly, King’s back catalog is in serious disarray, with a handful of titles available from Friday Music, and many other albums simply out-of-print. Even odder, no collection has previously featured the aforementioned groundbreaking, influential singles King recorded for King and Federal until now. The Complete King Federal Singles collects all 54 of the guitarist’s original sides for the labels stretched across two CDs, providing listeners with a whopping 155 minutes of fiery guitar blues, red-hot R&B jams, and a few misfires. King’s first single for Federal – the label that James Brown made famous – was the slow-burning “You’ve Got To Love Her With A Feeling,” a remake of a classic Tampa Red side that showcases King’s underrated vocals and smoldering fretwork.

It was King’s second effort for Federal, the immortal instrumental “Hideaway,” that would forever become known as his signature song, however, King using scraps of melody and guitar “borrowed” from other artists like Hound Dog Taylor to create the energetic guitar-driven romp. Named for Mel’s Hideaway Lounge, one of the West Side venues that King frequently played at in Chicago, “Hideaway” became a Top 30 pop hit, hit #5 on the R&B charts, and would subsequently be covered by dozens of other artists, including John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Stevie Ray Vaughan. An energetic boogie with lively fretwork and a break that includes the rhythmic vamp from the “Peter Gunn Theme” (from a popular early 1960s TV show), “Hideaway” is a true American music classic.

San-Ho-Zay!

“Hideaway” would set the stage for much of what would follow during King’s lengthy tenure with the King/Federal label family…bluesy vocal R&B tunes and the occasional instrumental, all showcasing King’s flexible guitar stylings. The 1961 track “Lonesome Whistle Blues” offers up some tasty guitar licks, backing vocals that borderline on doo-wop, great piano play, and a sultry rhythm that drove the song to #8 on the R&B chart. The B-side to this one was “It’s Too Bad Things Are Going So Tough,” a tear-jerker blues tune with crying fretwork and mournful piano notes, the song a remarkable (and unheralded) example of the traditional Chicago blues style.

The 1961 instrumental “San-Ho-Zay!” would become another hit for King, who borrowed much of its structure from fellow Chicago blues guitarist Eddie C. Campbell. Bluesier and with more distortion than “Hideaway,” this instrumental foreshadowed the British blues-rock explosion that was a few years away in the future. Another of King’s overlooked instrumentals, “Sen-Sha-Shun,” was the B-side to the more traditional blues of “I’m Tore Down.” While the former offers up plenty o’ hot licks and smoky vocals, King backed on the upbeat houserocker by a blast of horns, the latter tune takes an entirely different tack, mixing bits of blues and rockabilly with an undeniable surf-guitar sound for an electrifying, invigorating performance.

Christmas Tears

During the 1960s, labels released new singles with a frequency unheard of today, and they often asked artists to record holiday-themed material for the market. King’s entry into the Christmas sales fray is the wonderfully morose “Christmas Tears.” Although the 1961 single was only a modest R&B chart success, it’s a fine holiday tune with King displaying a hot hand on the fretboard, a jazzy rhythmic backdrop playing against his loudly-sobbing vocals. The single’s B-side, the raucous “I Hear Jingle Bells,” is a delightful, over-the-top rocker that provides several licks that Clapton would later steal for the Yardbirds.

Although King would chart an amazing seven singles during 1961, his streak ended there and he would be pushed throughout the ensuing years towards more commercial R&B material and songs designed to exploit teen trends during the early ‘60s. “Do the President Twist” was one such attempt to cash-in on a popular dance craze, the lightweight 1962 effort overshadowing King’s stinging guitar licks with blaring horns and unremarkable vocals by Lula Reed, wife of producer Sonny Burgess. More interesting is the scorching “What About Love,” a R&B-tinged rocker that put King’s voice loud and proud in the mix and offering up a couple of short but sweet solos. That single’s instrumental B-side, “Texas Oil,” delivers a fluid groove, plenty of hornplay and, most importantly, King’s wiry guitarplay throughout.

The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist

As the calendar pages turned, the label continued to downplay King’s strengths with hackneyed attempts at gaining a hit song, as shown by the relatively-tame 1963 instrumental “The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist,” which attempted to capitalize on three dance trends at once, with only very modest success (#103 on the pop chart). It could be worse, however – the horrible double-sided monster that was “One Hundred Years” b/w “(I’d Love To) Make Love To You” would eschew King’s guitar altogether in an attempt to remake the Texas bluesman as a pop crooner, the B-side of the 1963 single displaying a pronounced island lilt while the A-side lacks any sort of melodic hook for King to hang his vocals on, and only sparse instrumentation (sans guitar) to attract listeners.

The aforementioned creative and commercial flops notwithstanding, King did record some fine blues material during the latter part of his years with King/Federal. Alongside such marginal fare as “Surf Monkey” and “King-A-Ling” you’ll find gems like the old-school blues of “(The Welfare) Turns Its Back On You,” the socially-conscious lyrical commentary offering up cutting guitar licks, honky-tonk piano, and mournful saxplay. The 1964 track “Someday, After Awhile (You’ll Be Sorry)” is a minor blues masterpiece crying out for rediscovery by a modern singer like John Nemeth, King’s tortured vocals matched tear for tear by his emotional fretwork. The jazzy “Now I’ve Got A Woman” would have been tailor-made for a singer like Ray Charles, the up-tempo R&B locomotive fueled by King’s lively solos, while a cover of Jimmy McCracklin’s “You’ve Got Me Licked” is an inspired mix of Chicago-style and West Coast blues with a smooth groove and piercing notes dancing atop the rhythmic instrumentation.  

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

King returned to Texas late during his years with the King Records machine, preparing for the next stage of his career. Blues music was evolving throughout the 1960s, moving away from the business model of releasing a half-dozen singles on an artist during the year and towards fully-realized, full-length albums. King would move onto Atlantic’s Cotillion label for a pair of late 1960s albums produced by saxophonist King Curtis before signing with Leon Russell’s Shelter Records label for a handful of early-to-mid-1970s album releases that would find a new audience and cement his legacy as one of the greatest blues guitarists.

King laid the foundation for his legacy with the 54 sides that he recorded for King and Federal, and while there are more than a few clunkers to be found among the tracks preserved by The Complete King Federal Singles, the gold far outweighs these forgettable moments. Highly recommended for any old-school blues fan, fan of blues guitar, or even the newcomer navigating their way through the history of the genre, Freddie King’s The Complete King Federal Singles is essential listening. (Real Gone Music, released February 26, 2013)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Freddie King’s The Complete King Federal Singles

Archive Review: Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign (2013)

When blues guitarist Albert King signed with Stax Records in 1966, he was a known commodity on the blues circuit, but not yet a star, much less an artist with crossover potential. Based in St. Louis during the late 1950s and early ‘60s, King was a popular draw throughout the Midwest U.S. and had recorded sides for labels like King Records, Vee-Jay, Parrot Records, and others and had even released a full-length album, 1962’s The Big Blues, to little acclaim.

Working in the Stax Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee with the label’s house band, Booker T & the MG’s – keyboardist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson, Jr. – along with Stax songwriter Isaac Hayes and Wayne Jackson and his Memphis Horns, King recorded a bunch of songs between March 1966 and November 1967 that would later comprise his Stax debut album, Born Under A Bad Sign. Widely considered as one of King’s career milestones, the album would bring the guitarist’s unique vision of the blues to a white rock ‘n’ roll audience and influence young musicians like Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Albert King’s Born Under A Bad Sign

The album starts out big and bold, the familiar strains of the title song kicking out the jams with reckless aplomb as King’s throaty vocals and equally vocal guitar licks moan their tale of woe. King takes a familiar blues theme – that of the luckless loser, the hapless gambler, the failed ladies man – and pumps it up with his stinging notes riding high above Steve Cropper’s tasteful rhythm guitar and Booker T. Jones’ background keyboards.  “Crosscut Saw” would be equally as audacious, the song’s jaunty rhythm bolstered by the rhythmic muscle provided by the Memphis Horns. King’s guitar playing here is just as grand as on the opening tune, if not more so, displaying more texture and a fluid grace, but the vocals are weak and sound washed out.

The frequently-covered Leiber/Stoller R&B classic “Kansas City” is provided an appropriately swinging arrangement, King sleep-walking his almost-spoken vocals atop a rich soundtrack dominated by the Memphis Horns and “Duck” Dunn’s gorgeous walking bass line. Again, whether due to problems with the original tape or the primitive recording technology, King’s voice unintentionally drops into the background at times, but his lively fretwork bursts above the mix nonetheless. King’s original “Down Don’t Bother Me” is an extension, of sorts, of the title track, pursuing a similar hard-luck lyrical tale, but the guitarist’s playing here is phenomenal, meshing perfectly with Perkins’ horns and Al Jackson’s sparse percussion to great effect. King’s vocals are better-balanced here, providing the right amount of emotion to match his anguished guitarplay.

Laundromat Blues

Blues legend Albert King

King tackles the well-traveled Booker T. & the MGs’ composition “The Hunter,” which would later be covered by folks from Free to Koko Taylor, the guitarist adding a bit of bravado to his vocal performance. While the song’s double-and-triple-entendre lyrics are pretty frisky when left on their own, King’s deep voice and deeper blue guitar playing add gravitas to the recording. A cover of Ivory Joe Hunter’s “I Almost Lost My Mind” displays King’s versatility as a singer; his somber, heartbroken vocals bring a strong emotion to the words as his subtle guitar lines tell the rest of the story. “Laundromat Blues” is another gem in King’s catalog, a straight-forward blues-as-betrayal tune that channels the romantic woe into a fine vocal performance and tearful fretwork that sizzles with barely-contained rage and frustration.

The 2013 Stax Records reissue of Born Under A Bad Sign offers five bonus tracks in the form of previously-unreleased alternate takes and an untitled instrumental. The first (unused) take of the title track reveals a few differences but otherwise hits every mark as the take that ended up on the album; by contrast, the alternate take of “Crosscut Saw” includes an extra chorus tacked on the end, features a stronger King vocal performance, and all the houserockin’ guitar banging of the original. The bonus version of “The Hunter” also seems more muscular and self-assured, but the album-closing “Untitled Instrumental” is a revelation, King laying the smackdown on a fatback rhythmic groove, the soulful Memphis horns slung low beneath the guitarist’s raging leads, which run amok across the loose-knit studio jam.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

My colleague Bill Dahl sums it up best in his new liner notes for Born Under A Bad Sign, stating that King would “make more great Stax albums, but he’d never top this one.” King’s performances here are those of a hungry man ready to feast on the world, and they would create an artistic blueprint that the guitarist would hew closely to for the remainder of his career. Although the digital re-mastering provided this 2013 reissue hasn’t cleaned up all of the original audio issues, it has brightened the performances and added extra depth to the sound.

The songs themselves – “Born Under A Bad Sign,” “Crosscut Saw,” “The Hunter,” “Personal Manager,” and “Laundromat Blues,” the album’s first hit single – would become part of King’s canon, superb performances that influenced a generation of blues and blues-rock guitarists to follow. A bona fide classic of electric blues, if you don’t have a copy of King’s Born Under A Bad Sign in your collection, then you don’t have squat! (Stax Records, reissued April 2, 2013)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Albert King’s Born Under A Bad Sign

Archive Review: Gary Moore's Live At the Marquee (2002)

One of British rock’s greatest secret weapons, Gary Moore has never received the attention or props that he deserves as one of the Emerald Isle’s wildest and most talented guitarslingers. It is certainly not his immense skills that have prevented him from gaining more than a token stateside audience, although his penchant for skipping from project to project might provide some reasons for his obscurity. After fronting the early ’70s British blooze-rock outfit Skid Row, Moore banged out hard rock with Thin Lizzy, flirted with jazz/fusion as a member of Colosseum II, and played on solo albums by folks like Cozy Powell and Greg Lake. Moore’s own solo efforts have run the gamut from heavy metal to improvisational jazz to hardcore blues. For all of his genre hopping, Moore might be pegged as a dilettante but for the fact that no matter the style of music, he plays it so damn well...

Live At the Marquee is taken from a 1980 show captured at London’s Marquee Club and is probably as good a representation of Moore’s six-string skills as one might find. Although this critic personally prefers the blues bashing Moore practiced during the ’90s, the metal-tinged rock and jazzy fretwork found on Live At the Marquee is nevertheless impressive. Fronting a band that includes journeyman MVP drummer Tommy Aldridge, the Irish guitar wizard runs through a set that includes the hard-driving title cut from his 1979 solo album, Back On the Streets and the wonderfully sublime “Parisienne Walkway,” Moore’s first U.K. hit. “Run To Your Mama” rocks with a rabid ferocity, Moore’s lightning-quick runs highlighting an otherwise generic “kiss-off” song while “You” plays like melodic new wave pop. The soaring, operatic “Nuclear Attackv and the thrash-and-bash instrumentation of “Dallas Warhead” (with Aldridge’s manic drum solo) close out Live At the Marquee with a proper showing of Moore’s heavy metal skills.

Although Live At the Marquee probably won’t win Gary Moore any new fans, standing miles away stylistically from his latest release – the bluesy, bone-rattling Scars – the album does serve as a solid documentation of Moore’s early work. Hopefully this reissue will herald a complete revamping of Moore’s ’80-era hard rock catalog by Sanctuary, which very well might attract listeners searching for a new guitar hero in this age of limp, lifeless “modern rock.” Gary Moore is a guitarist of unusual skill and dexterity, a six-string virtuoso capable of great subtlety, power and speed. He deserves a much wider hearing in the United States. (Sanctuary Records, 2002)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™, 2002

Archive Review: Walter Trout's The Outsider (2008)

Madman guitarist Walter Trout has credentials that put most of his peers to shame, earning his guitar star status after spending the latter part of the 1970s as a “gun for hire” with the touring bands of John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton. Trout further honed his skills on the road as a member of blues-rock band Canned Heat, and performed with the legendary John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers alongside guitarist Coco Montoya for a few years. Trout launched his solo career in 1989, and has since racked up accolades and acclaim for both his electrifying live performances and over a dozen live and studio albums.

Following up on 2006’s Full Circle album, where Trout collaborated with friends and fellow travelers like Mayall, Montoya, Guitar Shorty and Joe Bonamassa, The Outsider is Trout’s second new studio effort since 2001, a strong electric-blues collection that literally raises the roof. If many blues-rock guitarists sound like they’re skipping stones across a pond, Trout and his pick-up band of rock veterans hit your ears like a wrecking ball demolishing a building.

Walter Trout’s The Outsider

The Outsider opens with the white-hot bulldozer “Welcome To the Human Race,” a strong first pitch that roars across the plate with an abundance of screaming fretwork, muscular bass lines, and ‘70s-style big-beat drum bashing. Trout’s voice barely scrapes above the swirling maelstrom of 100% pure blues noise, singing about the highs and lows, temptations and obstacles of humanity, the lyrics striking these ears as more than a little biographical in nature. It’s a mighty powerful opening statement, one that helps set the stage for much of what follows on The Outsider.

You’d expect a bit of a letdown after a burner like “Welcome To the Human Race,” but Trout doesn’t stumble as much as he slows down the pace from a maddening race to a deliberate gallop with “The Next Big Thing.” Ostensibly an Old West parable, the song doubles as a metaphor for the blues game…just replace “gunslinger” with “guitarist” and you’re in the same lyrical ballpark as, say, Bad Company’s “Shooting Star.” Trout’s guitar wiggles and moans and cries throughout the song, finally jumping up and flying away with an exotic squiggly pseudo-psychedelic guitar fade-out.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Bluesrock

Pitched to a bluesy Texas shuffle, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Bluesrock” is a fairly cheeky little bit o’ fun, Trout taking aim at the poseurs and wanna-bes that equate self-destruction with suffering when singing that they have the blues. It’s a subject that, perhaps, Trout knows a little bit about, but his accusations here are tactful rather than venomous, supported by a raging Stevie Ray-styled guitar-mangling and explosive, machinegun drumbeats.

“Child of Another Day” is a sophisticated story-song about another lost soul on the blues highway, an insightful tale complimented by a powerful Trout vocal turn, some fine lyrical imagery, and guest star Jason Ricci’s rockin’ harpwork. Between Trout’s axe and Ricci’s harp, the two instrumental bruisers move the song into the heavyweight category so that the rhythm section can deliver the knockout punch. The acoustic intro to “Turn Your Eyes To Heaven” will catch you off guard, until you figure out that this is Trout all by his lonesome, the singer delivering an uncharacteristically subtle performance on a smart song about hypocrisy and judgement.

The Restless Age

The 1970s-era hard rock vibe of “The Restless Age” is created by Trout’s spoken-sung vocals, swinging guitarwork, and the addition of pianist Jon Cleary’s boogie-woogie barrelhouse key-pounding. The world-weary lyrics of “Gone Too Long” are given a bit of Latin flavor by Sammy Avila’s keyboard punctuations and Trout’s sassy, Santana-styled riffing. “Can’t Have It All” is another swaggering blues-rock romp, taking its cue from the John Lee Hooker songbook, its martial rhythms marked by descending guitar notes and foot-stomping six-string riffs.

The surprising “Sanjay” is Trout’s yin to the yang of Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane.” Written in support of “Bollywood” film star Sanjay Dutt – sentenced to prison on questionable charges in his homeland of India – the song is a stomp-and-stammer rocker with a bit of New Delhi flavor and some blistering string-bending. The album closes with the title track, an introspective and thoughtful meditation on what it’s like to be on “the outside looking in,” Trout’s gruff vocals complimented by a strutting, soaring electric-blues soundtrack. Trout’s fingers dance in the fire, Rick Knapp’s bass paces like a caged tiger, and Kenny Aronoff’s drums cruise with the sonic subtlety of a jet fighter.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

With a new studio band consisting primarily of roots rock journeymen James “Hutch” Hutchinson (Delbert McClinton, Ryan Adams) – who plays bass on ten of the album’s thirteen songs – and drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Bob Seger), Trout has formed a trio that is flexible enough to hold up the bottom end of his throwback electric-blues/classic rock sound. More than this, The Outsider features some of Trout’s strongest songwriting in a decade, and flaming six-string work that is out-of-this-world. A collection that puts the “rock” into blues-rock, The Outsider showcases Walter Trout at his very best. (Provogue Records, released June 24, 2008)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Walter Trout’s The Outsider

Blues Deluxe: The Joe Bonamassa Buying Guide

Joe Bonamassa fans rejoice, for the Reverend and Excitable Press are happy to announce the publication of Blues Deluxe: The Joe Bonamassa Buying Guide. The latest literary effort by the Reverend, Blues Deluxe is an album by album guide to the music of popular blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa. Profusely illustrated with dozens of color photos, including album cover artwork for every release, the guide also features eighteen album reviews covering many of Bonamassa’s solo efforts as well as albums recorded with Beth Hart, Black Country Communion, and Rock Candy Funk Party. The book also reprints a rare, long out-of-print 2011 Bonamassa interview previously-published by Blues Revue magazine.

The “Reverend of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Rev. Keith A. Gordon has been writing about music for 45+ years. A former contributor to the All Music Guide books and website, and the former Blues Expert for About.com, Rev. Gordon has also written for Blurt magazine, Creem, High Times, Blues Music magazine, and The Blues (U.K.), among many other publications, and has written fifteen previous music-related books, including The Other Side of Nashville and Scorched Earth: A Jason & the Scorchers Scrapbook and several volumes in The Rock ‘n’ Roll Archives series (including Southern Rock, Punk Rock, and the upcoming Heavy Metal).

Blues Deluxe: The Joe Bonamassa Buying Guide is a 188-page 5.5” x 8.5” trade paperback printed with gorgeous full-color photos and is available as a $26.99 print edition (sorry, but color ain't cheap) and as a less-expensive $4.99 eBook for your Kindle. Signed copies of Blues Deluxe are available from the Reverend through the PayPal link (with free shipping), or get your copy from Amazon with the handy links below.

Blues Deluxe print edition [Amazon.com link]

Blues Deluxe eBook edition [Amazon.com link]

Get your copy of Blues Deluxe personally signed by the Reverend Gordon his own bad self (U.S. orders only, please)!

CD Preview: Tinsley Ellis’ Red Clay Soul

Over the past four decades, bluesman Tinsley Ellis has performed in every state, as well as Canada, Europe, Russia, Australia, and South America, travelling over a million miles and acting as a true ambassador of the blues. For the Georgia-born guitarist, there’s no place like home, though, and with his new album, Red Clay Soul, Ellis will pay tribute to the musical tradition of the Peach State. “Georgia is where the blues has got soul,” Ellis says in a press release for the new album. “From the gospel inspired Ray Charles, to the R&B of James Brown and Otis Redding, to the rock and roll of Little Richard, to the blues rock of the Allman Brothers Band, all these acts have one thing in common. They all have the sound of Georgia and down here we call that sound red clay soul.”

Ellis will release Red Clay Soul on his own independent Heartfixer Music label on June 3rd, 2016. Says the guitarist about his homegrown label, “I’ve been in the business of music for over 40 years now; I’ve been passed around like a joint from label to label, from booking agency to booking agency, from manager to manager, and from producer to producer, so I’ve learned a lot. Knowing what works in the music business can be very valuable, but knowing what doesn’t work in the music business is priceless. Things are changing fast in the music business, and it’s adapt or die.”

Ellis welcomed a number of guests into the studio for the making of Red Clay Soul, including Oliver Wood from the Wood Brothers, and keyboardist/producer Kevin McKendree. Says Ellis, “Kevin is someone I have recorded with on every studio album I’ve done since Fire It Up, which was produced by Tom Dowd. On this one, he co-produced with me for the first time, and it was his idea to record live in the studio. That insight and vision yielded an album that is different and more exciting than the others we've done in his Nashville-based studio.”

Oliver Wood was a member of Ellis’ band in the early 1980s, and the two artists wrote “Givin’ You Up” a decade ago, the song finally seeing the light of day on Red Clay Soul with Wood providing guitar and vocals. Among the other nine tracks on the album are the bluesy, raucous “All I Think About,” which offers up plenty of Ellis’ stinging guitar and some tasty piano and keyboards riding low in the mix; a wonderful slab o’ Southern soul called “Anything But Go” which showcases Ellis’ often-overlooked vocal chops; and “Circuit Rider,” a roadhouse rocker with a greasy, low-slung groove and a hypnotic riff, with plenty of Ellis’ underrated fretwork woven throughout an enchanting blues performance.

Ellis will be touring in support of Red Clay Soul, bringing his dynamic, electrifying performances to new audiences as he attempts to expand the vocabulary of the blues while expanding the variety of venues in which he appears. “From the time I was a young teenager watching B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, and Billy Preston, to the great new music of today, I've taken what I've learned from these masters and incorporated it into my concerts,” he says. “From BB King, I learned about performing with dynamics. From James Brown, I've learned about putting on a seamless, exciting concert. From the Allmans, I've learned about how to excite fans with extended instrumental jamming. I try to learn something new about putting on shows at every concert I attend.”

We’ve listed Ellis’ confirmed 2016 tour dates below so that you can make plans to attend one of these entertaining, electrifying shows…and don’t forget to pick up a copy of Red Clay Soul!

Buy the CD from Amazon.com

Tinsley Ellis 2016 Tour Dates
05/12/16 @ Key West Theater, Key West FL
05/13/16 @ The Funky Biscuit, Boca Raton FL
05/14/16 @ The Moon, Tallahassee FL
06/08/16 @ Knuckleheads Saloon, Kansas City MO
06/09/16 @ Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis MN
06/10/16 @ Navy Pier, Chicago IL
06/11/16 @ Callahans Music Hall, Auburn Hills MI
06/12/16 @ Jazz Kitchen, Indianapolis IN
06/17/16 @ Cox Capital Theater, Macon GA    
06/19/16 @ Workplay Theatre, Birmingham AL
06/23/16 @ Isis Theatre, Asheville NC  
06/24/16 @ The Double Door Inn, Charlotte NC
06/25/16 @ City Winery, Atlanta GA
06/30/16 @ The Castle Theatre, Bloomington IL
07/02/16 @ Centennial Park, Grafton WI
07/12/16 @ Ram's Head, Annapolis MD
07/14/16 @ Iridium Jazz Club, New York NY
07/15/16 @ Thunder Road, Somerville MA
07/16/16 @ Sellersville Theater, Sellersville PA   
07/17/16 @ Daryl's House, Pawling NY
07/21/16 @ Narrows Center For The Arts, Fall River MA        
07/22/16 @ Summer Concert Series, Wilmington DE
07/23/16 @ Hampton Block Party, Hampton VA
07/30/16 @ Calgary International Blues Festival, Calgary Alberta, CANADA
08/11/16 @ Music Box Supper Club, Cleveland OH
08/12/16 @ Woodlands Tavern, Columbus OH
08/13/16 @ Cincy Blues Fest, Cincinnati OH
09/10/16 @ Music In The Park Concert Series, Travelers Rest SC
10/09/16 @ Daytona Blues Festival, Daytona Beach FL
10/21/16 @ Newburry Opera House, Newburry SC
10/29-11/05/16 @ Legendary R&B Cruise, San Juan PR
12/02 & 12/03/16 @ Egyptian Theatre, Park City, UT