Remember Luther Allison? Well, son Bernard was deeply affected by his Dad's passing and this is where the title 'Higher Power' comes in. He covers two of his Dad's songs on the album 'Raggedy and Dirty' and 'Into My Life' giving the latter a rendering that will endear Bernard to fans of Robert Cray. Mike Vlahakis supplies the brooding organ (with electric piano once the guitar solos come in) and overall the sound and musicianship on this album is top class with Bernard crafting out skilful solos and licks with a clear, crisp sound and all done using his Dad's old guitar!
Bernard rocks, Bernard funks and the self composed opener 'I've Learned My Lesson' is a powerhouse with Ron Sutton and Jassen Wilber laying down an amazing staccato groove on drums and bass respectively. Bernard's guitar cuts across the music perfectly- he knows exactly when to hold onto a note and when to cut loose, a prodigious talent!
Even the funk boogie of 'Too Cool', something I would normally avoid to be truthful, is perfectly executed and is a great vehicle for Bernard to demonstrate the range of his vocal talent- it also has another great little guitar break! I do prefer the rockier side of Bernard though- well illustrated by 'Woman Named Trouble', the guitar.and bass working in perfect harmony with some real funky rhythm guitar and the keyboards cooking nicely with the odd stabbed chord or two penetrating the music and rarifying the atmosphere.
'Time Flies By' starts with some real heavy drumming and sounds familiar- of course, we must remember that Bernard's music is rooted in the blues, albeit a very modern variation of it- by the time the guitar break comes in it's impossible to think that anyone will be left sitting in the room or auditorium in which his music is played- wonderful stuff!
'Next2U' is the heaviest track of all with a wicked little laugh at the beginning and an incendiary bass/guitar riff and some shredding guitar. The lyrics on the album mostly deal with pretty hormonal matters (Well relationships really!) but it's all very enjoyable and extremely well done. In addition to the 4 piece band there are some guest musicians and Jellybean Johnson plays a cracking guitar solo on this one. A very clever track!
There's a nice love song entitled 'Ami' to close with Bernard on acoustic guitar.
'Higher Power' comes highly recommended to anyone who likes their blues soulful and on the modern side with a large slice of funk. Worth the admission price for Bernard's terrific guitar playing and a tight band that does him great credit.
Reviewed by Phil Jackson for Zeitgeist e-zine
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