Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Walter Trout – ALIVE in Amsterdam

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This CD review was originally published in the July 7, 2016 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Walter Trout – ALIVE in Amsterdam

Mascot Label Group

www.waltertrout.com

www.mascotlabelgroup.com

2 CDs / 16 tracks / 105 Minutes

Walter Trout has a lot going in his favor – a new lease on life, a tour supporting his excellent Battle Scars album, and a newly released concert album, ALIVE in Amsterdam. The latter is the best live blues album I have reviewed over the past few years, and this project says a lot about Walter and where he is in his life right now.

Trout is a blues guitar hero and singer who has appeared on over 40 albums in his career, including working as a sideman with luminaries of the genre and a five-year stint with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Things looked bad for him in 2013 when his liver was failing, but after a transplant in 2014 he came back as strong as ever. ALIVE in Amsterdam documents this comeback better than any magazine article or documentary could. Many musicians will lay down a live album to help fluff up their catalog or to give their fans something new to buy, but Walter used this opportunity to show all of us that he still loves his craft and that he is just as good as he ever was.

This show was recorded on November 28, 2015 at the Royal Theatre Carré in Amsterdam, and Trout was joined by the well-traveled Johnny Griparic on bass, as well as longtime band members Michael Leasure on drums and Sammy Avila on the Hammond B3 organ. You will also get to hear Walter’s son, Jon Trout on guitar and Andrew Elt on vocals and guitar. This is a tight crew who lay down an excellent groove that allows Trout to do what he does best. As always, there is no set list but there is nothing thrown at these professionals that they are not able to handle.

Walter’s wife (and manager) Marie kicks things off with a quick introduction, and the crowd gives the band a warm welcome before Trout gives them a strong dose of guitar pyrotechnics to lead into ”Help Me.” This heavy 12-bar blues track features plenty of Walter’s guitar and his unwavering vocals, along with a fine organ break from Avila. After this they run through a high-energy take of Luther Allison’s “I’m Back” followed up with a sweet tribute to the late B.B. King, “Say Goodbye To The Blues,” complete with some heartfelt personal remembrances. This song has been huge for him in the Netherlands, and the audience really showed their approval.

Then the band strings together a half-dozen songs from Battle Scars, including “Almost Gone,” “Omaha,” “Tomorrow Seems So Far Away,” “Playin’ Hideaway,” “Haunted By the Night,” and “Fly Away.” If you are not familiar with this material, it might be a good idea to give it a listen. These songs were written during Walter’s recovery, and they are breathtakingly personal and honest. Usually when fans come out to see an artist they want to hear all the old hits, but the crowd at this show was really tuned in and was very appreciative of this new material. What a magical evening!

One of the high points of the album is when an audience member calls out for “Marie’s Mood” and Walter responds, “OK, we’ll do that for you, we’re easy!” Trout is at his most melodic here, and his touch on the fretboard is sublime. Another cool moment is when Jon rocks out with his father for “Rock Me Baby” which really shines with two guitarists up front. As with the rest of this two-hour show, these tunes are well recorded with a slightly bass and drum heavy mix that emphasizes how gnarly this set is.

ALIVE in Amsterdam is a wonderful live album from Walter Trout and his band, and if you are a fan of his music, or hard guitar-driven blues-rock in general, it should be on your list of albums to purchase as soon as possible. It is available either as a two-disc set or as a collection of three heavy vinyl albums, and it will surely get more than one listen if you pick up your own copy. They are currently touring Europe, but will swing back through the United States in August before heading back overseas, so click through his website to see if he is playing near you. It will definitely be worth your time!

Mike Osborn – In the Dog House | Album Review

Mike Osborn – In the Dog House

Je Gagne Records

www.michaelosbornmusic.com

11 tracks / 45:00

Few albums that I review can be classified as pure blues, as they often have elements of rock or country in them, and in Mike Osborn’s case, his In The Dog House disc has a little bit of everything in it. After moving from Illinois to Woodland, California (near Sacramento) in his early teens, Mike took up the guitar and by the time he was 16 he was playing lead guitar in a country rock band; since then he has played a bit of everything: classic rock, blues, and metal. After taking a break from gigging to take care of his children, about ten years ago he got back into the business in a serious way. The result was his killer 2009 debut album, Fire & Fury, and now his follow-up, In the Dog House.

Though Mike now lives in the San Francisco Bay area, this disc was recorded in Southern California with Grammy winner Alan Mirikitani doing the mixing, mastering, and taking on the producer role. Mirikitani also wrote seven of the tracks with his collaborator Dennis Walker; Osborn wrote three of the other songs, and John Fulbright wrote the remaining tune. Mike took care of the vocals and guitars, and he was joined by a bunch of stone-cold professionals in the studio. These folks include Johnny Griparic on bass (Slash and BB Chung King), Lee Spath on the skins (Robert Cray and Rod Stewart), and Teddy Andreadis on keyboards (everybody, including Carole King and Guns & Roses). Whew!

What these guys put together is incredible: the songs are all very well-written, musicianship is first-rate, and Osborn’s guitar work and vocals are amazing. Each song is different and cover more genres than would seem possible in a 45 minute album that actually sounds like it is a singular piece of art. They kick this diverse set off with “Love vs. Ego” a blues rocker with nice Hammond from Andreadis and hearty vocals from Mike. He says “love wins,” but I am not too sure about that…

Though In the Dog House seems to be mostly focused on love and its associated games, Osborn finds time to address two subjects other than romance on this album. One of these, “Company Graveyard,” is a hard driving boogie about a man who does not want to be tied down by the man. And “Veterans Song” is an ode to our armed forces, a pleasant rocker with neat vocal harmonies.

But the other tracks are all about love, all the way down to its most graphic level, as found in “Tied Up.” This straight up blues tune matches a raunchy guitar tone to the lyrical content, and Andreadis’ organ is amazing. Get it?

One of the standout tracks on this disc is “Jump in Your Fire,” a Texas boogie that has a lot of “La Grange” in it. Except that Osborn’s growly vocals are a bit more intelligible than you might expect from the intro. This track rocks to the highest degree, and it shows that Mike’s talent has a lot of depth.

And to provide the icing for this tasty cake, guest artist Randy Mitchell (formerly with Warren Zevon) lends his slide guitar to the John Fulbright song, “Satan & St. Paul.” Though beautifully built, this countrified ballad is stone cold bummer as Osborn dissects a romance gone horribly wrong with vocals that he grads from deep within his soul.

The set draws to a close with the title track, and again we get something just a little different and unexpected. The surf-rock inspired instrumental has a slamming beat, jangly guitars and a cool melody. It is cool that Mike got to show off his mad guitar skills one last time -- he is the real deal, for sure.

Mike Osborn’s In the Dog House is a winner from every perspective. He delivers a passionate and intelligent album that was carefully put together by one of the best in the business. I have heard his live performance is just as good, so I look forward to checking his show out for myself at my earliest convenience!