Reed Turchi – World On Fire
This is recorded with the flavor of a swampy J.J. Cale blues inspiration crossed with the sophisticatedly smooth voice of Chris Isaak. Reed has a uniquely disciplined voice (which could be good, or in the case of the blues, not so effective). His voice is bluesy & in spots seductive, but he retains his control to benefit the song’s atmosphere most importantly (“When You’ve Got a Good Friend”).
While “Get Back Train” lacksadaisically moseys along nicely in its blues groove, what it lacks is the traditional dirt & mud of a truly growly blues ballad. It’s narrated well but yet doesn’t make any deep impression behind John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison or Bob Hite. It seems Reed Turchi has mastered the mood & atmosphere of his material, but while his voice is exceptional, it still needs some authenticity in his intonation. The attitude isn’t coming across all circuits.
Nevertheless, there are 9 milk & whiskey flavored traditional blues tunes that ignite World On Fire (Drops May 30/Xenon/31:58) that are satisfying – if a listener is willing to hear blues being presented creatively differently. Produced in NYC by Reed (guitar/vocals), who’s joined by Eric Burns (guitar), Seth Barden (bass) & Joseph Yount (drums).
“Lay My Burden Down” has a jazzy guitar line planted in a blues soil that is quite effective, only as a lounge, easy listening singer would interpret it. Is this bad? No, not at all. Turchi is taking risks – he’s trying to keep the cooking on a low blue flame, so it sizzles slowly in the ears.
As the album progresses, the tunes improve despite the spare instrumentation. “Don’t Leave Me Baby” finds a good groove, but Mr. Turchi needs to find the individual lyrics that he can embellish to bring some character to the song. Elvis Presley does this exceptionally well on “Reconsider Baby” & later on “Steamroller Blues.” This is the part of the blues not taught by vocal coaches but learned through experience & instincts. The song itself is fine, has thickness to it & Reed’s vocal is filled with urgency. “I’m all alone, I’m all alone” is poignant & a strong conclusion.
All the songs are traditional & that makes Reed a fine interpreter. What Reed does is try to present the material in a different realm from the expectant raw blues frame without losing its expressiveness. “Back Door Man” is excellent. So is “51 Highway,” which is swampy with a Delta-Southern gothic attractiveness.
Highlights – “When You’ve Got a Good Friend,” “Get Back Train,” “Lay My Burden Down,” “Don’t Leave Me Baby,” “Back Door Man” & “51 Highway.”
CD cover image courtesy of Jacob Blickenstaff. CD @ https://www.reedturchi.com/ & https://reedturchi.bandcamp.com/album/world-on-fire
Find our previous coverage here: Video Premiere: Reed Turchi “Walk With Me”
