Last year, with John Norum firmly back in the fold, Europe released possibly the best album of their not undistinguished career. Heavy, bluesy and with a firm grip on melody it took all the best elements of that band and refined them to the point that every track was a gem. Far from the keyboard-orientated stadium rockers of the eighties, ‘Last look at Eden’ was a perfect distillation of the Europe sound and of the taut rock sound that Norum brought to the band. Here on his remarkable solo outing, he has a chance to demonstrate his skills once again with a set that bristles with blues-inflected rock tunes.
Opening with ‘let it shine’, a soulful shuffle complete with wah-soaked lead runs and John’s smoky, tuneful vocals, the album immediately sets out its stall as a wonderfully contemporary hard-blues album that will delight enthusiasts with John’s evident passion for his work. Interestingly, despite a biography that references Thin Lizzy (a band whom John incidentally covers here on ‘It’s only money’) and AC/DC, the closest references are the later, more Beatles-orientated efforts of soundgarden and the grungy psychadelia of The Screaming Trees. ‘Red light green high’ continues this feeling with John’s voice echoing Mark Lannegan’s whiskey-soaked croon and the guitars adopting a wonderfully languid pace despite the snarling edge that they maintain throughout – a sound not a million miles dissimilar form ‘songs for the deaf’-era Queens of the stone age. The afore mentioned Thin Lizzy cover maintains the attitude of the original, but gives it a damn good shaking nonetheless. ‘Got my eyes on you’ is one of the heaviest tracks in evidence here, cruising on a fast paced hard-rock riff which is closer to AC/DC than any other track here but with a lower-pitched blues vocal that fits the style perfectly. With echoes of the crunchier rockers from ‘last look at Eden’ it is material such as this that will most likely attract Europe fans, but for those with a taste for classic rock and a heavy take on blues, every track is a highlight. ‘When darkness falls’ has a sturdy groove to it, while the guitar playing (as it has been throughout) is exemplary and well-balanced in the mix so that it neither overpowers the music in a furious display of ego nor hides in the mix, afraid to shine.
Returning to the seventies-styled rock of Screaming Trees on ‘over and done’ brings the pace back down a little after the previous two rockers for a track that sees John outdoing himself on the guitar as well as whipping up a masterful groove that dares you not to tap your foot. It’s another highlight from the album and if you need any convincing as to the quality of the material you’d be well advised to track out this track as evidence of the skill on display. ‘Ditch queen’ has a sleazy Guns ‘n’ Roses feel (but rather Duff than Axel) complete with extended solo break which sees John’s fret board sizzling as he charges across it while the vocal is oddly reminiscent of vintage Kiss. ‘Travel in the dark’ (originally by Mountain), while featuring an explosive solo, is possibly the least exciting moment on the album as it lacks the fire than Norum brings to his own composition. That’s not to say it’s a weak track, rather it lacks the sheer verve of the rest of the disc…Speaking of which, ‘Born again’ is an absolute hard-rock stormer, surfing in on the type of riff that made ‘Last look…’ so thoroughly engrossing. Final track ‘play yard blues’ is a straight up blues pastiche that is a satisfyingly traditional ending to a hugely successful album.
In ‘play yard blues’ John Norum brings together all the elements that make him such a successful guitar player with his day job; replete with hard-rock moments, flashes of pure blues magic and John’s intimate, soulful voice this is a magical album which has been more-or-less glued to my stereo (with a brief break for the outstanding Echoes Of Yul EP) since it arrived yesterday morning. Like the Europe album it is genuinely revelatory, offering up a glimpse of a man with an immense talent and passion for his art. In taking in a wide variety of blues-influenced styles from the hard-rocking ‘born again’, to the grungy ‘red light green high’ to the closing traditional blues of the title track John has created an album that has a timeless feel to it, a homage to the music he loves and a testament to his own mighty playing skills. A wonderful record from a truly special artist.
Play yard blues is out July 5th on Mascot Records
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