BLUES WITH A FEELING

This is another good example of Steve's wonderful diversity. Of course, he started out as a blues harmonica player, and he proves he knows his roots here. No, this isn't the deep down and dirty blues of the American south, nor is it the English blues of the sixties. It is modern day Hackett blues, and excellent stuff at that. 'Born In Chicago' is a cover song, and quite a fast paced one. The trademark Hackett guitar sound is present here, as on all tracks, so you can still tell it's Steve, yet this time in a blues setting. 'The Stumble' is an instrumental, and a fastish one at that. 'Love Of Another Kind' is a typical Hackett track, with good harmonies. 'Way Down South' is a gentle, subtle song, with again nice harmonies on the chorus. 'A Blue Part Of Town' is truly wonderful. Soulful harmonica playing over Colbeck's restrained keyboards, it is a bitter-sweet instrumental, slow and melodic. One of the highlights. 'Footloose' raises the tempo again, another good instrumental. 'Tombstone Roller' is mid paced, and has a sharp guitar led ending, with good drumming here and some high pitched notes from Steve. 'Blues With A Feeling' is a calm, mid paced song, with understated guitar playing, the most verse led song on here. 'Big Dallas Sky', as others have commented, is almost a blues epic! Another highlight, it has lovely keyboard soundscapes, overlaid with classic Hackett guitar notes, seemingly picked out of thin air. 'The 13th Floor' is another instrumental, again set at a mid to fastish pace. 'So Many Roads' has good vocals from Steve, with more atmospheric guitar in the background. A very strong song. Finally, 'Solid Ground' is a mid pace track with aggressive vocals and a strong fading ending. The harmonica is present on a few tracks here, and is well played. I would like to hear, one day, an album of harmonica playing from Steve. It would be different, and would showcase another of his talents. A strong album, recommended for Hackett fans, modern blues fans, harmonica fans, and, of course, guitar fans in general. Another four star effort.