Standing Out Loud
Ruf, 2024
9/10
The always excellent guitar wizard Alastair Greene brings his powerful blues ideas to these 11 new tracks that brings in old school and southern rock ideas, too.
“You Can’t Fool Me” opens with thick guitar and plenty of grit, as Greene’s smooth voice guides the flowing climate, and “Slow Burn” follows with a mid-tempo rocker that balances rhythm and rawness superbly.
Halfway through, “The Last To Cry” welcomes intimacy to the crisp drums and warmth, while “Am I To Blame?” pairs thumping drums with buzzing guitar, where Greene’s expressive pipes suit the ruggedness.
“Rusty Dagger” and “Bullfrog Blues” exit the listen, as the former is a pretty moment of poetic beauty that recruits a meticulous guitar solo, and the latter is a minimal, acoustic focused moment of timeless southern ideas that builds into a sizzling and dance floor ready, bar rocker.
There is no bad spot to start in Greene’s discography, and this batch is among his best, where the spirit of the ‘60s and ‘70s is channeled into some of today’s finest blues.
Travels well with: Alastair Greene- The New World Blues; Sue Foley- One Guitar Woman