Bachman
Heavy Blues
Linus Entertainment
Five stars
Where has this been for the past four decades? Randy Bachman – who made classic rock history with Bachman-Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who – has recorded his best album since 1976. The name says it all: heavy blues, delivered with help from all-star guests including Neil Young, Peter Frampton, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Randolph and Jeff Healey.
If this was 1975 and the radio still played rock, there might be a half-dozen hit singles on Heavy Blues. Opening track The Edge sounds like BTO playing a mash-up of their own You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet and The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again. Ton of Bricks hits the listener as advertised; Little Girl Lost features some memorable, instantly recognisable fuzz-tone guitar from Young; and Confessing to the Devil features posthumous licks by Healey from a long-ago, unreleased session. The catchiest track on the album is Wild Texas Ride, featuring a boogie drum beat over raw guitars and cowbells. It's really good to see Bachman takin' care of business again.
artslife@thenational.ae
