GARY MOORE – How Blue Can You Get [Japan Edition Blu-spec CD2] (2021)

This weekend, Provogue will be releasing a new album featuring previously unreleased material from the iconic blues-rock master GARY MOORE, titled “How Blue Can You Get“. Bu we have the just appeared Japanese Edition on Blu-spec CD2.
Venturing deep into the Moore family archives, some previously unheard and unreleased deep cuts and alternative versions surfaced to accentuate the beguiling mastery of one of blues’ finest modern exponents.
Amongst the songs are unheard and unreleased Moore originals – “In My Dreams,” a lusciously glorious slow-moving ballad with every note and bend weeping as Moore pours out his heart along with the stunningly melancholic “Looking At Your Picture”.
This year marks a decade since the tragic passing of the iconic Northern Irish musician and singer-songwriter. He left behind, not only an incredibly formidable back catalogue of music from his esteemed solo career, Thin Lizzy, Skid Row, Colosseum II and more, but also a legacy matched by few others.

Gary Moore was one of the greatest guitarists to ever walk on Earth and a musical force of nature. His playing is revered both for his high-speed hard-rocking fretboard attack as well as his melodic and softer solos, full of his soaring sustained notes and passionate licks.
He’s, of course, also a great singer and a versatile songwriter, having released, in addition to his trademark bluesy hard rock, music within genres as diverse as jazz fusion, folk, heavy metal and pop.

Thanks to Provogue’s effort of digging deep into the guitar ace’s musical archives, we have this new album, ”How Blue Can You Get”, consisting of four originals and four covers, presenting us with more of Moore’s classic sound and his ability to make blues standards sound even more potent.
First of all, it’s not clear who were the band members backing Moore in each of the tracks but they certainly do provide the needed groundwork for his six-string wizardry and strong vocal performance.

His tone is superb as usual, with the right combination of power, distortion, and clearness and he makes the most of it, hitting and bending notes with laser-like precision to craft monumental lead guitar exhibitions.
The record is also full of the beautiful slow soloing he is so famous for, with his incredible ear for melodies, especially in the ballads, taking the spotlight as he puts out great solo after the other with pure passion.
Swaggery in the hard-hitting faster cuts and melancholic in the sad, slower ones, his vocal delivery is extremely competent and fits the overall mood of the songs perfectly.

The album kicks off with a muscular version of Freddie King’s “I’m Tore Down”, a live favorite of Moore, but never released before as a studio track. It’s a six-minute tour de force, featuring amazing extended guitar solos.
It is followed by a take on Memphis Slim’s “Stepping Out”, a fun and lively instrumental track with some great lead work too. The third track is the slow blues masterpiece “In My Dreams”. Released as the album’s single, this ballad is a beautiful and sensible piece of blues art and the strongest number on the album.
The first half ends with the title track, a supreme cover version of the B.B. King classic that brings everything Gary Moore is so good at to the table with its slow cadence punctuated by the Northern Irishman’s dazzling leads.

The second half starts with “Looking At Your Picture”, a persistent midtempo number with a haunting melody. The next song is a bluesy version of Moore’s melodic rock ballad “Love Can Make a Fool Of You” released originally in his 1982 album Corridors Of Power. In my opinion, it sounds better as a blues song, especially because of another stellar and emotional guitar solo.
The seventh track is a cover of Elmore James’ “Done Somebody Wrong”, a blues rocker featuring Moore’s best vocal performance on the album.
The last track, “Living With The Blues” is another beautiful and melancholic ballad that closes the album on the highest of notes.

This release is a must have for Gary’s fans and a great addition to anyone’s collection, a great way to celebrate the life and music of one of Rock’s ultimate guitar heroes.
HIGHLY Recommended

01 – I’m Tore Down
02 – Steppin’ Out
03 – In My Dreams
04 – How Blue Can You Get
05 – Looking At Your Picture
06 – Love Can Make A Fool Of You
07 – Done Somebody Wrong
08 – Living With The Blues

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www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICX-30100