Ah, the sound of a Gibson Les Paul guitar, played in the hands of a master like legend Gary Moore...sweet stuff no matter how you slice it. Close As You Get is Moore's latest release, following right behind 2006's Old New Ballads Blues, and mixes some originals with covers, all done within the blues rock framework he has stayed true to since 1990's Still Got the Blues. This one here has 11 tunes, ranging from party time shuffles (" If the Devil Made Whiskey" and "Thirty Days") to slow and dark rippers ("Trouble at Home"), to flat out bluesy stompers ("Hard Times" and "Eyesight To The Blind"). Backed by drum veteran Brian Downey, keyboard player Vic Martin, bassist Pete Rees, and Mark Feltham on harmonica, the instrumentation here is superb, the highlight of each track though is when Moore explodes into a solo. If you haven't listened to this guy in the 30 + years he has been on the scene, he can rock hard or lay down a tender blues/jazz lick with equal amount of passion. Perhaps his most tender playing here is on the track "Evenin' ", where he lets his emotional side really shine, not only through his guitar but his vocals as well.
Overall this is a nice listen for blues fans, and probably one of the better blues guitar albums you will hear this year. However, if you've followed Gary Moore since the 70's, and still hunger for the return to his fusion and hard rock roots, this will seem like a retread of the same type of material he has been churning out the last 17 years.
Track Listing
1. If The Devil Made Whisky
2. Trouble At Home
3. Thirty Days
4. Hard Times
5. Have You Heard
6. Eyesight To The Blind
7. Evenin'
8. Nowhere Fast
9. Checkin' Up On My Baby
10. I Had A Dream
11. Sundown
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