Mr David Viner - Among the Rumours and the Rye

  by Anthony Middleton

published: 5 / 9 / 2008

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Review

If you play the blues and the legend John Lee Hooker decides to change your name, you would probably stick with it. Luckily for David Viner, on meeting Hooker a year prior to his death, the change was simply to add the honoric of Mr; an observation on an Englishman playing the blues. 'Among the Rumours and the Rye' is Viner’s third album and he has built a reputation as a red blooded live guitarist having being chosen to support the White Stripes on their last tour. Usually the thing that disappoints you is when someone’s songs just aren’t there. This is not problem here. The most salitent weakness in an otherwise fine album is, however,Viner's voice. All too often it is insipid when more muscularity is really called for by his strident song writing. It doesn’t stop this being a good album. It does stop it being a great album. Granted, most singers’ shortcomings would be laid bare by the sublime voice of Jaymay. The New Yorker brings real soul to the duet 'Go Home', a tale of life lived in the fast lane. What isn’t missing is superb blues guitar and imaginative songs that are as close to the Mississipi Delta as any Englishman could hope to get. But this is no purist’s album; the influence is plainly there, but Viner does not tyrannise us with it. 'From the Levee’s Break' is one of the more conventionally blues driven and that still has its welcome quirks. Also it strays quite happily into lilting ballads such as 'Go Home' or even into ragtime with 'Get Through This'. 'I’ve Got Mine You’ve Got Yours' is fun, breezy pop. The title track, a more sedate, acoustic number is more suited to Viner’s vocals, in that it doesn’t test them too severely, yet allows him to show his lyrics at their best. The final song, 'Bow Your Head', is an epic spiritual, Viner weary of the world, warming up into a great crescendo of call and response with backing singers. Lacklustre vocals apart, 'Among the Rumours and Rye' is driven by the quality of the songs and the craft of the guitar work and more than succeeds because of that

Track Listing:-

1 Do What Thou Wilt
2 Lavender
3 Go Home
4 Dig a Hole
5 I've Got Mine (You'll Get Yours)
6 From the Levee_S Peak
7 Get Through This
8 Won_T Cry Again
9 Thorn in My Side
10 Old Black Crow
11 Among the Rumours and the Rye
12 Bow Your Head

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