The picture on the cover of Leslie West’s ‘soundcheck’ initially seems somewhat uninspired. A VU meter pegged in the red, well, so what? Surely the Velvet Underground have already done that? Yet what initially seems uninspired is, in fact, prophetic, because red is exactly where the needle stays on this unexpectedly rambunctious outing from the legendary guitarist. Teamed up with Peter Frampton, Brian May, Max Middleton (ex-Jeff Beck), Bonnie Bramlett and the late, great Jack Bruce (Cream), this is a meeting of some of rock’s greatest talents and the result is an album of tracks that spark with livid rock ‘n’ roll fury.
Putting his best foot forward, Leslie West opens with the gnarled blues of ‘left by the roadside to die’, a blistering workout that sees acoustic guitar and a throbbing synth line give way to some heavy-ass blues that blaze with a power that recalls Led Zeppelin in their pomp. This is blues, but with a nitro-glycerine charge at its heart and as Leslie’s gritty slide slithers across the mix you’d have to be dead not to sit up and take note. It’s a hell of an opening track and, as the cover implies, Leslie’s only just getting started. ‘Give me one reason’ (originally a Tracy Chapman hit) opens with the warm tones of a grand piano and some emotive lead before devolving into a late-night blues track that draws comparisons with the stunning Wilko Johnson / Roger Daltry album ‘Going back home’. Better still is the gritty hard rock of ‘give me one reason’ which has all the hunger of a band just stepping out on the road for the first time. This is good time rock ‘n’ roll in excelsis – “I’ve been waiting all week just to have a good time” moans Leslie over a riff that threatens to leave a trail of discarded, semi-clad groupies in its wake. Slowing the pace is a beautiful rendition of ‘you are my sunshine’ (featuring Peter Frampton) which exposes the very human heart at the centre of this rock ‘n’ roll whirlwind. Reminiscent in tone of Johnny Cash’s masterful reading of ‘hurt’, Leslie makes the well-worn track entirely his own with a performance that drips with emotion whilst the guitar solo simply aches with unresolved passion. The rock is back with the massive ‘empty promises / nothin’ sacred’ which recalls Danny Bryant’s similarly electric ‘take me higher’ (from ‘temperature rising’). With a staccato riff and some blistering solo work, ‘empty promises / nothing’ sacred’ is an album highlight and it is, apparently, Leslie’s tribute to the mighty AC/DC. Whatever the influence, it’s the sort of awesome hard rock track that makes you want to bounce around the room like an idiot, and it’s hard to get your head around the fact that this is Leslie’s sixteenth album and not his first, such are the energy levels.
Things take an acoustic turn as we move into ‘a stern warning’, an instrumental work-out that demonstrates Leslie’s enduring ability on the guitar before a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s soul classic ‘people get ready’ sees Leslie let rip with that wonderful vibrato once more. The solo work here can only be described as sublime and Leslie imbues his fret work with an indelible sense of passion that transmits itself clearly to the listener. It’s a beautiful, life-affirming cover but it pales in comparison to the sparks that fly from ‘goin’ down’ which features a blistering contribution from Brian May who, energised by standing opposite Leslie, contributes some of his best guitar work in years. A hard act to follow, ‘goin’ down’ is simply stunning, and so Leslie sensibly does not attempt to compete, choosing to offer up a sweet cover of ‘stand by me’ as a tribute to the late Ben E. King (who passed back in April) instead. With a heartfelt vocal from bonnie Bramlett, who duets with Leslie, it’s a stripped down and wonderfully emotional tribute to a true artist. A short instrumental rendition of Beatles Classic ‘Eleanor Rigby’ follows, giving Rev Jones a chance to give his bass a thorough work out and then, to conclude the album, a remarkable live version of ‘Spoonful’ is unleashed, paying tribute to the late, great Jack bruce (who sings and plays bass on the track) as Leslie does his best to channel early Clapton. What better way to pay tribute to a fallen comrade than to include such a blistering version of one of their songs on your album? It proves to be a fitting end to the disc and the recording, whilst gritty, perfectly captures the raw rock ‘n’ roll spirit that makes Cream one of the most innovative and revered bands of all time.
Leslie West may be a legend but he plays like an artist newly arrived at his muse. There’s an air of excitement about ‘soundcheck’ that is remarkable and whether he’s trading licks with Brian May or sweetly incorporating the ethereal guitar work of Peter Frampton, the album simply never gets dull. There are tributes to friends both living and dead, covers worked up in Leslie’s own style and, throughout, there is that oft-imitated but never bettered guitar tone that has made Leslie so revered. An album of highlights, if this was any other artist it might sensibly be called a Greatest hits, and there is no getting around the immense power that swells from the speakers when Leslie kicks out the immense riffs that power tracks like ‘left by the roadside to die’ or ‘goin’ down’. If you love your blues to blaze with emotion, then ‘soundcheck’ is the album for you, and there is no question that it belongs high up on the list of the year’s best albums. ‘Soundcheck’ is an absolute gem from start to finish.
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