Alastair Greene – Standing Out Loud
At first listen it’s like a well-performed rehash of tons of mannered blues-rock maneuvers. But, California guitar virtuoso & singer Alastair Greene adds a bit of personality & invention to his oeuvre. He pulls off a moderately creative jaunty blues finely rendered, crackling with lead lines & not always sounding vocally like so many other blues mannikins.
There’s a little early J. Geils Band type of indulgence but tunes like “Only Do” are fiery on their own. With this type of performance, it seems the talent is compact & it’s the arrangements that glitter. I found this old-school blues style sparkling right from the start (& with “Bullfrog Blues, too) there are musical additives like a glass of wine with a quartered peach in it, a tall glass of ice water with lots of lemons, or a plain bowl of chocolate pudding with a mountain of whipped cream. It’s musical additives that leave the majority of Greene’s tunes so flavorful despite an old recipe.
While he’s adept at his solos he’s not as clean as the late Roy Buchanan (but Alastair is a little more animated than dear Roy), B.B. King, or as progressively showy as Robin Trower & Stevie Ray Vaughan. But that down n’ dirty solid juke joint Z.Z. Top guitar rural-ese blues redemption overflows from Alastair’s nimble fingers with finesse (Lots of words huh? Just like Alastair’s guitar notes).
Vocals are equally soulful & slinky. These 11 skillfully abrasive guitar stings scattered on Standing Out Loud (Drops May 17/Ruf Records/39:00) were produced by Mr. Greene & co-produced by JD Simo. Recorded both in Nashville, TN & Austin, TX sessions.
So, aficionados of diehard roots rock, Southern rock traditions, swampy blues & old school J. Geils affiliations will gravitate toward this platter. Greene pumps lots of fuel into his solos & they are not meandering going nowhere in- particular runs. The guitar has aim & a voice on the tracks. Sometimes one would wonder whether Alastair is playing the guitar or if the guitar is playing him.
The problem with competence on any instrument is that it doesn’t always come with originality or creativity. Fortunately, this collection has that optional equipment as Alastair displays it with clarity & soulfulness. With “Rusty Dagger,” he goes for a Jimi Hendrix feel but pulls up an effective Hendrix-influenced early Robin Trower “Bridge of Sighs.” No matter. Great playing throughout, a cool tune, though for some, it’ll be nostalgic.
Highlights – “You Can’t Fool Me,” “Slow Burn,” “Only Do,” “In Trouble,” “Am I To Blame?” “Temptation” & “Rusty Dagger.”
Musicians – Adam Abrashoff & Kevin Hall (drums/percussion), Todd Bolden & Mark Epstein (bass).
CD cover image courtesy of Nicola Gell. Color image courtesy of R. Keith Lambert. Colorful laminated 6-panel CD @ Amazon & https://agsongs.com/home
