Gary Moore
Back to the Blues
CMC International
I heard a while back that former Thin Lizzy axe-slinger Moore had gotten into the blues, but hadn’t had an opportunity to check it out. The fact that the Gibson Company sells a Gary Moore signature Les Paul (there’s one in the background on the back cover here) is alone testament that people in high places were taking Moore seriously, and his hard rocking stint with Lizzy certainly guaranteed he knows his away around a fretboard, so I decided to check this out.
Moore did not disappoint, even though I’m hardly a blues fan. The opening track is a blistering, Texas-style blues worthy of early ZZ Top (before they became an MTV caricature), and Moore’s vocals alternately growl (as on that cut) or have a reedy, Clapton-like quality on more mellow cuts. His guitar playing goes from Jimi/Stevie over-the-top histrionics to Santana-ish fluidity on the more introspective numbers. There are even horns on the B.B. King classic “You Upset Me Baby.” In short, if you dig the blues, there’s something for everyone here.
http://www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com, http://www.gary-moore.com
