Another Days Blues

British guitarist Robin Trower re-enters the fray with a solid, electric, British blues record. Another Days Blues features longtime drummer Reg Isidore, vocalist Davey Pattison (who sounds an awful lot like the late James Dewar), organist Nicky Brown, and bassist Dave Bronze, as well as a couple of ringers like keyboardist/bassist Paul Page, drummer Pete Thompson, and vocalist Hazel Fernandez. But the real story is the playing. Trower structured the sound and feel of this recording to be juxtaposed against albums like Twice Removed from Yesterday and Bridge of Sighs. While all the tracks are blues cuts, the silvery liquid darkness of his guitar and the background atmospherics stretch this beyond the usual Brit blues cage. His playing is better than ever -- a listen to the tasteful, slow yet biting "Someday Blues," the steamy roll in "21st Century Blues" or the gritty, punch-drunk fervor of "Next In Line," or the sheer wah-wah Hendrixian whomp of "Go My Way" is all the evidence one needs to know this is the best Trower recording in a dog's age -- or even two. Even the ballads such as "Shining Through," or the dreamy, psychedelic haze of the album's closer "This Blue Love," are shot through with teeth and taste. Highly recommended. ~ Thom Jurek