Drawing on rock, pop, blues and soul, Ben Poole demonstrates a newfound confidence on Anytime you need me, the follow-up to 2016’s acclaimed Time has come and 2014’s Live at the Royal Albert Hall (recorded by the BBC). Produced by Wayne Proctor (who also provides drums), the ten tracks of Anytime you need me bristle with confidence and look set to bring Ben to an ever-expanding audience, and deservedly so.
Opening on something of a popular theme in today’s stress-strewn society, the title track reminds the listener that someone is always out there, ready to listen. It’s an uplifting start to the album, built around a taut, funky riff reminiscent of Carlos Alomar and nailed by Wayne Proctor’s steely beat. With Ben delivering a stunning solo and an assured vocal, anytime you need me is exactly the opening track the record needed, really setting light to proceedings and capturing much of the energy Ben and his band bring to their live performance. Take it no more, with its fuzzed-up opening riff and swirling keys, was apparently the first song to be written for the album sessions. It packs a potent groove, offset by a glorious, King King-esque chorus, just begging for an audience to sing along to it. Adopting a lighter touch, You could say sees nimble guitars and elastic bass (Beau Barnard) offered up as backing to a gloriously soulful melody that is only lightly tethered by Wayne’s typically excellent performance on the drums. Light, airy and with a melody to die for, you could say is a perfect example of the light and shade found on anytime you need me. Keeping things light, the slight pop of found out the hard way is another track that sees Ben combine pop and soul with devastating effect. Emotionally charged, Ben says that the song was extensively re-written from the original version, but there’s no question that the effort was worth it because the result feels like it has the potential to be hailed as a classic in years to come. With a stinging solo in the second half providing the emotional climax that the listener is just waiting for, found out… is glorious. The first half of the album concludes with the tough blues of further on down the line, Ross Stanley’s keys sweetening the bitter pill of Ben’s razor-sharp guitar lines.
Opening the second half, the shimmering funk of Dirty laundry (an Eagles cover) combines the smooth tones of Robert Cray with the urgency of Dan Patlansky, Ben’s gritty solo perfectly cutting through the mix as the band defy you to stay in your seat. Next up, start the car, a Jude Cole cover, opens with Ben’s scything riff and Ross’s subtle keys before Wayne arrives with a devastatingly driven beat that injects high octane fuel into the tank and sets all the needles in the red. Massively stripped back, start the car is an album highlight with Ben making the track entirely his own. Don’t cry for me (written by Steve Wright) sees the lights dimmed low as Ben comforts the listener. In contrast, the massive riff of let me be is given extra weight thanks to the judicious use of an octave pedal and the resultant track has a considerable heft to it, Ben singing “never give up” before launching into a guitar solo so wired on adrenalin, it leaves the listener with their jaw flapping against the floor tiles. It leaves only holding on to bring the album to an ecstatic close. A slow-building piece that has shades of Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Buckley, Holding on is everything an album closer needs to be to leave a lasting impression and it brings the record to a monumental finish.
Anytime you need me takes everything that impressed on time has come and expands beautifully upon it. A more confident, more mature, more concise record, anytime you need me is pretty much perfect in every respect. From the well-chosen covers and beautifully-written originals to the exquisite musicianship that can be heard in every smooth lick and each raging solo, Ben and his band nail it time and again and the result is an album to which you’ll listen on repeat for days on end. Exciting, emotionally-charged and simply brilliant form start to finish, anytime you need me is a truly spectacular record. 10
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