Space Age Blues
Provogue
The press release advertises “guitar licks that explode into whistling comet trails,” but such effects are hard if not impossible to find. This sophomore release is simply a solid blues-rock album showing impressive songwriting growth from 2006’s “Torch.”
The only space-age theme lies in the lyrics of the title track, a slow blues number heavy on the wah-wah, alternating between shades of Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You” and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s cover of Bob Geddins’ “Tin Pan Alley.”
The “tribe” has been trimmed down to Allman (guitar, vocals), George Potsos (bass) and newcomer Gabriel Strange (drums). “Could Get Dangerous” benefits from the stylized harmonica of Huey “Workin’ for a Livin’ ” Lewis (who luckily was down the hall at Ardent Studios with the News — tracking “Soulsville,” their first studio album since 2001’s “Plan B”). Also helping to fill in the gaps are Ron Holloway (Dizzy Gillespie) on sax and/or Rick Stef, Memphis keyboard whiz. Adding even more class is violinist Bobby Yang (Kevin Costner’s Modern West), who overdubs himself ad infinitum until he becomes a string section on “Warm in Wintertime.”
Other highlights include the soulful “Salvation”; a funky cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke”; and two instrumentals: “Blue Est Le Vide,” on which Allman plays solo-acoustic, and “Insh’allah,” a showcase of fuzzed-out Middle Eastern electric riffage that would do Quicksilver Messenger Service’s John Cipollina proud.
Tracks
1. Could Get Dangerous
2. Space Age Blues
3. Salvation
4. Sir Duke
5. Endless Diamond
6. Bleu Est Le Vide
7. Warm In Wintertime
8. New Pet Monkey
9. I’m Ready
10. Take Me To The Bridge
11. Insh’Allah
Total time: 45:32
External links
artist’s website
amazon.com
iTunes Store
