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As singer/guitarist of the band Mountain, Leslie West was one of the
pioneers of (blues based) hard rock music. The band may not be quite
as famous as Led Zeppelin, Cream or Jimi Hendrix, their “Mountain
Climbing” and “Nantucket Sleighride” albums still stand tall among
the classics from these bands. As a guitarist, West has influenced
a.o. Michael Schenker, Eddie Van Halen and Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora.
On this “Blues To Die For”, West tackles some blues standards,
courtesy of John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Muddy Waters and the like.
Not exactly a novel idea for Mike Varney’s Blues Bureau
International label (Rick Derringer and Pat Travers have done pretty
much the same), and the concept might be wearing a bit thin by now.
But it’s clear that West is the perfect man for the job.
Leslie West may be only half the man he used to be (in size, that
is), his voice and guitar skills haven’t suffered at all. I’m not
really happy with the choice of songs: “I’m Ready”, “Talk To Your
Daughter” or “Born Under A Bad Sign” have been done to death and
frankly, listening to the umpteenth version of these songs is
becoming a bit boring. But there’s no denying that West’s raspy
vocals and soulful guitar playing do these classics justice. I
wouldn’t have minded some more variation, though (some more slow
blues tunes would have been nice).
As for the arrangements of the songs, West rarely strays very far
from the classic versions, as if he’s afraid of damaging their
legacy in some way. John Lee Hooker’s “Crawlin’ Kingsnake” is a
great opener, with West’s amusing take on Hooker’s growling voice.
One of the better tracks on the album. Despite my reservations
towards the choice of “Boom Boom”, it’s done really well, as is
Muddy Waters’ “Mean Mistreater”. “Hellhound On My Trail” (originally
by Robert Johnson) features a fabulous guitar sound, and is much
better than Eric Clapton’s recent version of the song. Probably my
favourite track of the album. “I Got The Blues” is not actually a
song, but West talking about his childhood and telling us (in his
smoky voice) how he got to love the blues. This story is interlaced
with some tasty guitar licks. Album closer, B.B. King’s “Why I Sing
The Blues” follows naturally, and seems to be West’s justification
for recording this album.
Although I quite enjoy the album, it’s hardly essential, and I must
admit I much prefer West in the rockier Mountain (who, incidentally,
are still around as well). One should be prepared not to expect a
hard rock album (though it is frequently advertised as such), but
some traditional, albeit spiced-up, electric blues. Traditionalists
might find this a fitting tribute to the blues greats, though. |
