PETER GREEN/SPLINTER GROUP |
| Peter Green
has been absent from the music scene for far too long. His battles with
demons, both real and imagined, have apparently been put to rest so
that his re-emergence can take root. Green and friends have started
this journey back to the light on solid ground with the issuing of a
collection of Robert Johnson Blues standards. The songs contained here
are so true to their original vision and intent that you can almost
feel the devils anger in knowing that with this record, Peter Green
has stolen a piece of his soul back. This record is easily the best delta blues ever performed by a white man. How a Jewish kid from England can have such an understanding of the music of an impoverished Southern Black man is a mystery to me. Perhaps there is some cosmic connection that drew the two disparate souls together, who knows, the result is still the same, all the blues you can use. The highlights are many but the standout track here is "Stones In My Passway." This song begs to be played over and over again as you sit gently bobbing your head to the hand taps on Green's guitar. If you are not much of a blues fan well first, why not? And second, there is a bit of rock and roll here for you to enjoy as well. "Sweet Home Chicago" features a guest vocal by Paul Rodgers that stays close to the traditional but is still a bit more up-tempo that Johnson originally penned. This record deserves to find a wider audience than hard core FLEETWOOD MAC fans and I believe that it will. Green's work with the mighty MAC in the sixties is still being played daily on the radio but it is not Peter Green's defining musical achievement, this record very well may be. Released by Snapper Records. Website : http://www.snappermusic.com/index2.htm Review by David Lee |