Chris Bevington And Friends
Album: Chris Bevington And Friends
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 11
Website: http://chrisbevingtonmusic.co.uk/

Deciding to put together a CD made up of some of his favourite blues tracks for nothing more than the love of it is as good a reason as any for someone like Chris Bevington to put out this collection. The bass guitarist of thirty years experience in various guises, together with a host of hotshot musicians has delivered a rather splendid blues rock compilation which celebrates all the good things about the genre.

For some, the blues is an acquired taste but there's none of the endless doodling which is often associated with the pure blues form which to be honest, tends to sometimes tar the genre with the indulgence brush. This a set of songs which grab you from the opening moments of the opening track - a great choice in a blistering take on 'Dark Side Of Love', modelling all the youthful and infectious enthusiasm which Chris and his band mates clearly feel.

Of the dozen 'friends' who contribute to the album, the significant guitar and vocal duties are taken care of predominantly by Scott Ralph with Jim Kirkpatrick taking lead on three tracks. It's these three tracks in particular which make up some of the highlights. The first, 'Was', opens with a raw lo fi bottleneck before ripping into a bluesy harp fuelled romp and 'Blue On Black' is a terrific acoustic based take. For anyone who wants a comparison of what they're getting into with the album, 'Heart Of Blues' and the terrific slow burning and the aforementioned 'Blue On Black' (a personal favourite) recall the sort of Paul Rodgers approach while there are elements of 'Was' recalled some of the more Texan ZZTop sound. The old standard 'Crossroads' gets a look in too - perhaps the most familiar choice amongst the eleven tracks, but to the casual blues rock fan there's nothing which is too mainstream or too deep into the blues and the sound and delivery are immediately accessible.

Clearly a labour of love and done with a passion and understanding for the songs which are captured in a live feel with a production which doesn't add too much studio polish, giving the songs a chance to breath and not become stilted. There's very much a feelgood factor about the record so hats off to Chris Bevington and friends for delivering an unexpected little gem.

Mike Ainscoe