Martin Barre - Back to Steel

  by Lisa Torem

published: 25 / 9 / 2015

---

Review

Boasting a fifty-year career, which includes being the award-winning guitarist in British prog rock group Jethro Tull, particularly for his work in ‘Aqualung’ and having multiple recordings under his belt in his solo career, this British guitarist/singer/songwriter seems like his career is just getting started. Barre explains that this new recording is essential to his future career. “I want this music to be the basis of everything I do from now on in,” he says to his public. And for that reason, Barre and his band of Dan Crisp (vocalist), Alan Thompson (bass and vocals), George Lindsay (drums and percussion), Alex Hart and Elani Andrea on additional vocals, with Barre covering guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, banjo, flute and keys have pooled their talents to make a superbly one-off blues to prog rock masterstroke, utilizing the skills of James Braggy, who worked with Barre on his last two solo projects. On the fifteen-track ‘Back to Steel’, Barre pulls out all the stops, boasting his prog rock lexicon as well as his unarguable dedication to blues and British roots music. On the title song, he sings, “My head has gone weak with time” and goes on to explain, “I got a feeling in my gut.” These strong lyrics foreshadow the rest of the album's no-nonsense story lines. The listener is goaded into a universe that applauds girder-like solvency, where there’s little room for the non-believer. “Digging my heels back into the floor” is another phrase that flourishes alongside the fantastic electric guitar, which so intimately embellishes the vocals. The chorus adds a completely contrasting texture. “I’m a tall guy, not a fall guy,” Crisp sings flippantly in ‘Bad Man’. Again, female voices juxtapose the main vocals, in this case, free-floating but grizzly-voiced vocals. The outro ties it all together. ‘Skating Away’ is a polished, re-imagined version of the Jethro Tull classic. (Another Tull tune, ‘Slow Marching Band’ is creatively rendered, too). The imagery is concise, but compelling and it sets the stage for ‘Chasing Shadows’, which is a brief, but beautifully expressed instrumental. ‘Hammer’ employs a vindictive bass and expressive guitar that gradually drifts into a higher spiritual plane. ‘You and I’ finds Hart and Andrea soaring against classical counterpoint, whilst ‘Moment of Madness’ lunges back to bold shifts and bright orchestral hits. Like ‘Back to Steel,’ emotions runs high and the electric guitar leads the warpath. ‘Calafel’ is a tribute to wanderlust. It contrasts with a too-short moment of sublime normalcy. ‘Eleanor Rigby’ is given a drastic work over with much attention paid to the inherent harmonies. It commemorates Barre’s productive week with Paul McCartney. Even Beatles purists will enjoy this alternative twist. The name ‘Peace and Quiet’ belies the rootedness of the next song, a bluesy ballad augmented by dreamy organ and heart-stopping guitar. ‘Sea of Vanity’ is a quirky, lyrical shanty, brimming with old school charm. Once again, ‘Back to Steel’ returns to the blues in this infectious story about a runaway lover who wants back home and will make it if only the rusted passenger train obliges. Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Smoke Stack’ is, without a doubt, an important homage to the blues. Alan Thompson’s exhilarating slide in ‘Without Me’ is an undisputable treasure. ‘Back to Steel’ ends with the aforementioned ‘Slow Marching Band’. ‘Back to Steel’ is a remarkably inventive collection that celebrates Martin Barre’s legacy with style, originality and wit.

Track Listing:-

1 Back to Steel
2 It's getting better
3 Bad Man
4 Skating Away (Tull with arrangement MB)
5 Chasing Shadows (inst)
6 Hammer (inst.)
7 You and I
8 A moment of madness
9 Calafel (inst.)
10 Eleanor Rigby (Beatles arrangement MB)
11 Peace and Quiet
12 Sea of Vanity
13 Smokestack (Howlin Wolf plus music/lyrics MB)
14 Without Me
15 Slow Marching Band (Tull)

Band Links:-

http://www.martinbarre.com/
https://www.facebook.com/officialmarti
https://twitter.com/tullguitarist