Chris Spedding

Chris Spedding is one of the greatest guitarists that Britain has ever produced – yes, I am talking about him being up there with Clapton, Beck, Green et al. His light has been kept pretty well under the bushel but his credits include some of the biggest names in the business, he started out playing with Jack Bruce just after Cream, yes that good.

The cover of the album sports a sticker ‘Warning, may contain Jazz’ and the album certainly does, as well as Blues, Americana, rockabilly and any other kind of music that he fancies turning his hand to and it is filled with guitar playing in every style except hard rock.

Opener, ‘Not Luv’ , starts with an almighty ‘twang’ before he plays some delicious slide and his gruff vocals querying the need for any kind of luv – this is not an opertic performance but he sure gets the meaning over – all the while that ‘Duane Eddy’ twang happening. If you are in the mood he now gets his jazz on with ‘Rhumba’ before heading for the deepest south in ‘Luisiana Blues’ – dark, slow Blues with so much soul it hurts.
The title track is a Chris Rea-esque slow burner, full of imagery and soul and again, that brilliant resonant guitar. ‘Air Guitar Woogie’ gets you up there doing the tennis racquet while ‘Abuse’ is the rockingest number on the disc and very Ian Dury in its way.

Every track comes loaded with superb guitar and there isn’t one that you can’t groove to: it is a little one paced occasionally but I’ve been listening to it for a wek now and I’m still digging it.

A real delight