If you handed a bunch of chefs the same bag of ingredients and asked them to produce a dish, they would likely all come back with something different, something of their own…and if you were to hand Lol Goodman and crew a set of instruments and a free hand THIS is what you’d get. All the aural ingredients may be familiar, but these veteran players and singers do concoct something of their own within their chosen field of electric and acoustic roots music….

There’s blues in here, there’s country rock, folk, not a little soul, rock’n’roll. The songs are not an excuse to show off their chops..but they happen to ! They are all their own and they stay in your head. At their best moments, they take their time, listen closely to and play off each other and bring in tones and beats that keep the whole brew interesting.

We have the deluxe edition of the album, so fourteen cuts to savour and each really does have its own twists or flavour. For me, it’s hard not to put track one on repeat, it is Don’t Go Fishing and it has everything a song might need – moody guitars, rolling Hammond, steady and deep bass, tight drumming, tons of emphasis, reflective and windswept lyric, catchy chorus, memorable bridge, great vocal backing, twisting guitar solo that hints at Steely Dan. It’s truly as good anything Spooky Tooth or Free put out.

The title track is one of those insistent songs like The Beatles’ I’m Down that you’d love to find on a jukebox, with sharp wavering and slide guitar; Water has a downhome acoustic intro and treading beat ; Live My Life With The Blues has an accompanying video which you can locate on our site. It’s an aching piano-led ballad that will really haunt you, with a hint of Van The Man in its pacing, with expert bass runs and a heartfelt vocal. The Tales of Teddy Black Bear is organ-fuelled fun in and around fluid Southern Rock.

Full Blooded Woman hits a blues groove and a nod to Bo Diddley-spoken delivery, toe-tapping material ; Colours Of My Heart is determined rock-soul, sung straight with wonderful bass figures and dirty guitars. Beer In My Hand uses a slow-blues form to make its point in a ‘One For The Road’ vein. The more I hear it, a hint of a tip of the hat to Peter Green comes to the fore ; LBD concerns the eye-catching apparel of an object of affection and is romantic in its own way. Well, OK – more lustful.

Work To Live employs delay on the guitars and Santana-styled organ ; Searchin’ Man Blues is slow funk with sharp guitar and backbeat snare. Old Black Dog is a slide feature which hits a sprightly bounce. Change My Mood is a Chicken Shack trip with excellent female backing vocals, very enjoyable. Ode To The Guys finishes the set with a moody slide vibe and one of the best vocals on the collection.

Heavyweight music with a spring in its step, on a set of original songs covering many moods.

Pete Sargeant

(Thanks Sam, Lol)