by Brian D. Holland.

Close As You Get

"If The Devil Made Whisky" is a raw and gritty 12-bar roadhouse blues tune. Gary gets down and dirty with both guitar and vocal. His voice has that Steve Marriott tremor to it. He adds some harsh slide midway through, bringing an ambiance of pure electric blues to the album’s start. The album contains about four slow blues numbers, each with its own style and sound, making it very interesting. "Trouble At Home", a Moore original, is a slow blues in the air of "As the Years Go Passing By", from 1990’s Still Got the Blues. His tone is cutting and bright, and he maximizes the sound of his Fender spring reverb when chopping the strings of the verse ending chords. It’s music to a guitarist’s ears.

"Have You Heard", the second slow blues, gets into a slow Otis Rush muse. Vic Martin’s Hammond organ adds persona and appeal to the Mayall penned tune. "Evenin’" is a personal favorite of mine. His guitar tone is amazingly clear and warm. The bridge contains a sliding chord very reminiscent of Peter Green, in tone and style. Actually, the whole song is kind of Green-ish, and really very nice. "I Had A Dream", the last slow blues, reminds me of "Gonna Rain Today", from Old New Ballads Blues. Though dissimilar in style, both present a remarkable blues ballad vibe. It’s songs like this that are making Moore a noteworthy blues songwriter, a member of an elite group in contemporary times for sure. Influences are obvious here as well, especially that of a note slurring, volume manipulating Roy Buchanan. The song is exemplary of the brilliance in Gary’s playing currently.

Let’s rock it up a bit now. "Thirty Days" is easily understood as being the Chuck Berry song that it is, only done from a Gary Moore perspective. The solo is turbo charged in that mode as well. "Hard Times" is one of those ‘in the middle’ Gary Moore songs, for the reason that although it’s inherently bluesy, his rocked up lead solo and potent vocal push it over the line, giving it that signature Gary Moore blues-rock quality. He adds the same potency to Sonny Boy Williamson’s "Eyesight to the Blind".

Williamson’s "Checkin’ Up On Baby" is very interesting for a couple of reasons. Besides the compelling Jimmy Page like riffs, also possessing that Gary and Thin Lizzy style of yesteryear (Brian Downey is on drums), his vocal is similar to the old bluesman himself, making it an extremely creative recording. "Sundown" closes the album in a good way. It’s a Son House song done acoustically, proving that although Gary typically plays the blues with a lot of strength and flair, he can get downright pure when he wants to as well. In other words, it’s as ‘close as you get’ to the real thing.

Close As You Get is a collection of brilliant blues songs by Gary Moore. I think he’s in his prime as a player now, and the fact that he has chosen the blues as his actual calling seems to have put his mind and his playing into the right perspective. And as usual, especially since Still Got The Blues, his guitar tone is killer! Although he can play quite fast, he’s one of a unique breed of players who have proven that 'less is more'. Listening to a Gary Moore note soar is one of life’s joys.

Close As You Get Track Listing

1. If The Devil Made Whiskey (Moore)

2. Trouble At Home (Moore)

3. Thirty Days (Berry)

4. Hard Times (Moore)

5. Have You Heard (Mayall)

6. Eyesight To The Blind (Williamson)

7. Evenin' (Swain/Royce)

8. Nowhere Fast (Moore)

9. Checkin' Up On My Baby (Williamson)

10. I Had A Dream (Moore)

11. Sundown (House)

Gary Moore: Vocals/Guitar
Brian Downey: Drums
Vic Martin: Keyboards
Pete Rees: Bass

Eagle Rock Records
UK and Europe: May 21, 2007
USA: June, 2007
Japan: June, 2007

Links:
Gary Moore
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