Close as You Get

Thin Lizzyの元メンバーであるBrian Downeyが全曲ドラマーとして参加した16作目のスタジオ・アルバムのリイシュー!こちらは2枚組アナログLPリイシュー!

オリジナル・リリース:2007年5月21日
16作目のスタジオ・アルバム
ラインナップ:Gary Moore(Vo、G、Dobro on #11)、Brian Downey(Ds)、Vic Martin(Key)、Pete Rees(B)、Mark Feltham(Harmonica on #4、#9)
プロデューサー:Gary Moore、Ian Taylor
エンジニア、ミキサー:Ian Taylor、Jonathan Tayler-Webb(アシスタント)
レコーディング&ミキシング:Sarm Hookendで行われた(#10を除く)。*バッキング・トラック:Sphere Studios
■仕様:2枚組LP、5mmの背表紙、印刷された内袋
*予めご了承下さい:海外から取り寄せる輸入盤ですので、仕様が急遽変更となることもございます。

Irish hard rocker turned respected blues man Gary Moore may not be breaking new ground 15 years into his musical transformation, but he continues to churn out solid, energized albums that play to his considerable strengths. It may be his raw Peter Green-inspired guitar that draws fans in, but Moore's soulful vocals and stronger-than-necessary songwriting keeps them there. These 11 humdingers feature five originals interspersed between sharp, tough covers of Sonny Boy Williamson (two tracks), Chuck Berry, John Mayall, and even a closing, seven-minute acoustic version of Son House's "Sundown," a rare glimpse of Moore's unplugged abilities. It should be no surprise that the composer of the lovely "Parisienne Walkways" also has a knack for quieter material, but Moore's subtlety and restraint on the old Jimmy Witherspoon chestnut "Evenin' Blues" (here shortened to "Evenin'"), and his own ballad "I Had a Dream" show that he's as powerful and intense when the amps are down to two as when they are pegging at 11. The way he builds tension on the latter through a slowly rising solo that hits a crescendo over the song's seven minutes proves why he's such an effective bluesman. Originals like "Nowhere Fast" aren't just by-the-numbers blues rewrites, but fully fleshed out songs that could stand on their own in a variety of arrangements. Like the finest musicians, including his mentor Peter Green, Moore understands the significance of dynamics, a lesson many others who work similar blues rock territory haven't learned. When he tears it up on the fire breathing Chicago shuffle of Williamson's "Checkin' Up on My Baby" and Berry's chugging "Thirty Days," there's no doubt of his six-string prowess. Yet it's the authority, not the volume, behind his string bending that's so riveting and makes this one Moore's finest, most varied blues or rock releases. ~ Hal Horowitz