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It is impossible to over-rate the impact Glenn Hughes had on the
world of rock music in the 70’s, with his bands Trapeze and
Deep Purple. During the 80’s, though, he featured on only a
handful of albums, by Hughes/Thrall, Black Sabbath,
Gary Moore and Phenomena (all of those are classics, by
the way). By the beginning of the 90’s, he had conquered some
personal demons and regained his health and he seemed intent on
making up for lost time. The list of releases he’s appeared on since
then is endless: his solo albums, his work with bands like Voodoo
Hill and The Bobaloos, the Hughes Turner Project,
guest spots with a.o. KLF, Manfred Ehlert, John
Norum, Brazen Abbott, Tony Iommi, Billy
Liesegang and Ryo Okumoto, not to mention his countless
appearances on rock operas, soundtracks and tribute albums. No,
overkill is not a word Glenn Hughes is familiar with.
With such a stream of releases being released, it is hardly
surprising that people are not exactly looking forward to new stuff
anymore. So when the new album, “Soul Mover”, was announced, I
wasn’t exactly jumping with excitement, even though Hughes was
adamant this would be the best thing he’s ever done. Well, he’s said
that before, but this time he may not be far off the mark. I did
expect a quality album, but what Hughes delivers here is one piece
of hard rock heaven.
On this “Soul Mover”, he is backed up by longtime guitarist JJ Marsh
and keyboard player Ed Roth. On drums is none other than Red Hot
Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and he really makes a difference here.
His heavy, groovy style of playing is perfect for this kind of
music. There’s also a guest spot by that other (ex-) Peppers
member and Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, but his
playing doesn’t really stand out against Marsh’s. As always on a
Glenn Hughes album, the main focus is his out-of-this world vocal
performance, although his bass playing shouldn’t be overlooked
either.
Soul and funk are important in Hughes’ music, but calling this a
funk rock record would do the album and the variety on it injustice.
Yes, the title track, “High Road” and “Dark Star” are heavy, groovy
& funky tracks and Hughes is really great at this stuff. But there’s
also some straight ahead heavy rock (“Miss Little Insane”), some
moodier stuff (“Change Yourself”) and even some psychedelica
(“Orion”). “Isolation” has a slight Latin feel. “Don’t Let Me Bleed”
is one of those vintage Hughes tracks, which starts slow and builds
momentum, and gives the Voice of Rock the opportunity to
display the whole range of his impressive vocal abilities. For me,
the best tracks are “Dark Star” (funky, with a very melodic chorus),
“Change Yourself” and “Let It Go” (which would have fitted right in
on the Iommi album “The
1996 DEP Sessions”). The combination of all this brings back
fond memories of Trapeze; “Soul Mover” is probably the
closest he’s sounded to that classic band in a long time.
Is “Soul Mover” Glenn Hughes’ best solo album? Well, that’s hard to
say: with such a variety it is difficult to compare. Melodic rock
fans probably still prefer “From Now On…”, while those seeking a
darker and more modern rock sound may select “Addiction”. What is
certain is that this new one is a powerhouse of an album, which
stands tall in a discography that spans some 35 years. |
