Published on Apr 9, 2001
The last time I gave Gary Moore a shot, I felt like I had been
violated. On
Still Got The Blues, Moore might have tried to make an album
that celebrated his musical roots, but it came off sounding like a
rock guitarist who wanted to gather together some bigger names in
blues and prove he could play it better than the legends. It came
off sounding forced and sterile.
While
Back To The Blues cannot rightfully be called a sequel
(Moore has done two other blues albums since then, by my count), it
sometimes does feel like he is reaching out to that nugget 11 years
in his past, as if he feels like he wants to do it right this time.
It’s still not perfect, but it’s a helluva improvement.
As the slide guitar intro to “Enough Of The Blues” suggests,
Moore seems to be taking this task more seriously, leaving a lot of
the flash he’s known for (thanks to his stint in Thin Lizzy) by the
wayside. Oh, he’s still capable of showing a set of chops, but to
Moore’s credit, he tones down their presence. “Enough Of The Blues”
holds out the hope that Moore finally has gotten things right.
While Moore is no John Mayall (look
that name up, kids), he does a respectable take on “Stormy
Monday,” a song which does leave room for Moore to let his guitar
do the singing. And while it stretches out a little too long,
“Drowning In Tears” is another track which seems to suggest that
Moore has done his homework.
Even some of the weaker tracks have their moments. “You Upset Me
Baby” has the feel of L.A.-based blues with the inclusion of a horn
section. Maybe Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown can get away with this,
but it doesn’t feel right this time around. Still, it’s not a
terrible effort.
With all of the improvements, there is something missing on
Back To The Blues – and that is an organic quality to the
music. There is no doubt that Moore is a talent on the electric
guitar. But if Moore was serious about the blues, I’d like to hear
him do more on the acoustic guitar. Over the years, I’ve heard
blues musicians who could literally make an acoustic guitar weep.
One is left to wonder what Moore could make an acoustic six-string
do.
And Moore still makes the mistake of thinking as a rocker, not
as a blues musician. “Cold Black Night” easily sounds like
something that could have come from Moore’s past, either with Thin
Lizzy or Skid Row (no,
not the Sebastian Bach-led group). Likewise, “Looking Back”
and “I Ain’t Got You” have about as much of a blues sound as B.B.
King has a rap sound. And is it me, or is “Picture Of The Moon”
akin to “Still Got The Blues”?
Moore has made improvements overall, and
Back To The Blues is a more enjoyable effort overall than
Still Got The Blues. But Moore, first and foremost, is a
rock guitarist – and it’s hard to put his musical past aside when
he’s trying to do the blues.