Customer Reviews

Another Days Blues

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Robin Trower has had his ups and downs through the years and I have followed him for most of his career since he was with Procol Harum. In my opinion, his golden years spanned the period between his first solo album and continued through In City Dreams. After that, his CDs became kind of a mixed bag that ranged from excellent to awful. Fans never knew which Trower was going to show up. Then about a year and a half or so ago, Trower issued a new album entitled Living Out Of Time. That CD should have settled questions as to whether Robin had any great music left in him. And if that didn't, last year's double-whammy of the Living Out Of Time Live DVD and this CD should have left no doubt that Robin Trower is as good as ever and maybe getting better!
Trower has always generally been considered a hard rock guitarist with strong blues leanings, but never before has his music been imbued with the blues as it is here. If Bridge of Sighs can be generally considered his finest rock album, then Another Days Blues should come to be considered his best blues effort to date.
Many of the songs here are remakes of previous songs, but every one of them is better off for it. Davey Pattison's vocals bring a dimension to Trower's songs not heard since the late, great James Dewar. And Trower himself plays with the kind of controlled fury characteristic of the best blues guitarists. Throw in old hands Reg Isadore on drums, Dave Bronze on bass and add Nicky Brown on organ, and you are in for a treat.
Some fans want to hear Trower play machine-gun fast as he was famous for in the old days. That wouldn't work with these songs, and Trower is musically mature enough to know it. The quality of the music on Another Day's Blues affirms his new approach.
Nearly the entire CD is first rate and I really like the remake of Someday Blues, 21st Century Blues, the retooled Go My Way, the languid Shining Through, the swinging cover of Crossroads, and the driving Feel So Bad. However, the most powerful and intense song, both lyrically and musically, is undoubtedly the reincarnation of Extermination Blues. Listen closely to and heed its cautionary message.
If you are an old fan of Robin Trower who just lost track of him over the years, Another Days Blues is the perfect album with which to make a reacquaintance. Then, get his Living Out Of Time DVD. And watch for his 2006 tour. You'll be glad you did.

This is the 1st cd I have purchased in a while that I can honestly listen to each song and enjoy. Every song is good. And the guitar is the shining star. Anyone interested in playing blues guitar should listen to this. Trower has great feel and tone -while not over playing. A blueprint of great blues guitar. The vocals are also good. Pattison is singing with passion. Especially on track #9. Shining Through is a great song all the way thru, with extremely strong guitar. The only complaint I have on this cd is the fade outs. Every song has too quick of a fade out. For God sake, let Trower wail!!! A few songs almost fade before pattison can get his last vocal in. Being a guitar player myself, I definitely want to hear more. Maybe that is the point, but I feel this could have been a major cd if the sweet sounding guitar being played by a true legend was allowed to playout on the endings.

This new CD has some great guitar work by Robin, and Davey Paterson does some job as vocalist. This is a reworking of "Someday Blues", with a couple of new songs on it, and a different version of "Go my Way". I prefer this to "Someday Blues", just because I think the vocals go better with the guitar work than the previous release. Four and a half stars!

Having listened to this CD several times now and still getting excited at every listen, I rate this Album among Robin's BEST! If I had to choose just three songs that would make my case for this newest addition being rated so high, I'd have to say;

First, there's Davey Pattison's vocal treatment of 'Go My Way', the Title Track to another of my favorite Trower Albums. Davey brings that incredible voice and soulful interpretation into line keeping stride with Robin's guitar mastery, giving the song an entirely different feel from the original - one that still makes me want to roll the windows down and turn the volume UP!

Second, there is the lusciously rich and smokey vocals of Hazel Fernandez giving all she's got on 'Looking For a New Love'. This is a powerhouse performance by a woman who makes you FEEL the bar stool under you, breathe in the smoke filled air scented with perfume, hard liquor and the sweat of a dance floor filled with passionate prowlers on the make!

Third, and BEST from my point of view, there is Robin Trower giving voice to one of two brand new songs on the CD, the final track titled 'This Blue Love'. I have heard Robin sing many times now, but never like this. His voice has attained a range that is equal to his guitar, becoming as much a finely tuned instrument as his Signature Strat while expressing himself with pure passion and raw emotion! This song gives me chills EVERY TIME I hear it!

I must say this is my return to listening to Robin Trower after a lapse of twenty years! that's right, I was around when his first lp twice removed came out and cannot quite recall what I felt about that album. I lost touch with Trower's music soon after when I began to drift toward hard blues. My impression of Another Days Blues is colored by the fact I am NOT judging this in light of Trower's entire recorded output prior to this CD. I really like this CD. I love the controlled fire of Trower's playing. The CD does groove, despite some fans' opinion otherwise. I also went out and got the CD Somedays Blues. Guess what? I love this cd AS WELL!! This is despite the fact the Another Days Blues is a virtual remake of Some Day Blues.

Both Cds sound great. My pref at the moment is for the earlier release. The sound is more open and the playing is fresh and hits bulls eye on every track. The recent release has a fuller sound and the playing is equally good. A lot has been written about the fact that Trower's playing might lack the punch or the firewroks of his rock based cds. I cannot compare, but let me assure you that these two cds have enornmous fire to the playing. What about Trower's voice?? Well think about other great blues guitar players who you would not label as great vocalists (Jimmy Vaughan for e.g). My test is whether the playing and singing speak to each other: They do here in spades for me.

Buy both CDs and put them on, turn up the music and let it envelope you. My guess is the killer tone and beautifully conceived playing with space between the notes will pull you in. The five star rating is reserved for CDs that I would not hesitate to play for my friends and those that have stood up to repeated listening and that I can hear something new each time i play them. These CDs pass that test for me. This is great after hours music...

I enjoyed the 'r and b' vibe of Bridge of Sighs and Twice Removed... as well as his live stuff, but this cd, picked up on a whim, is now my favourite of all the Trower albums I've heard. It's full of great blues songs and playing---simple but soulful and tasteful phrasing, a good variety of distorted tones, even some slightly wonky bending for spice. Singing from the 3 vocalists, including the old man himself, is excellent---great to hear him as good (or better?) than ever.

This is an exceptional recording. Trower's guitar playing here is better than ever...more nuanced, more dynamic and its clear that the lyrical nature of his approach has deepened over the years. This is not a rock record, but it is most definitely a first class Robin Trower record...Davey Pattinson is a terrific singer and stands tall in the tradition of classic british blues vocalists like James Dewar and Paul Rodgers. The rhythm section is also great. The record features some fine songwriting, even finer tunefulness and an excellent intimate performance atmosphere. Robin Trower and his mates are aging quite gracefully.

First, let's be clear... This is blues album, you won't find any Secret Place, Little Bit O Sympathy, Bridge of Sighs, or Hannah here, just the Blues. This album was previously released with Robin singing all the lead vocals (and doing a rather good job overall)as "Someday Blues", but there is no question that Davey Pattison is a better singer. All the guitar and drum parts are exactly the same on both albums only the vocal has been changed. And it's still a pretty good blues album, with a couple good original blues, and some good covers. Robin still gets is some great licks and this material makes a nice addition to his live shows. But it is the Blues, and nothing but the blues, so help me God.

When I first listened to this disc I was underwhelmed - I prefer Trower's own style (eg. Living Out Of Time) to anyone "playing the blues". But after a few listens I really came to enjoy Another Day's Blues. Trower's guitar sounds great, and Pattison is - as usual - awesome. Pattison has one of the best voices in rock, ever, period.
Most songs are really good: 'Inside Out' and 'Go My Way' are the notable standouts. I found a few songs to be disappointing: 'Crossroads' just doesn't measure up (Clapton set the standard) and 'Extermination Blues' is no where near as good as Trower's original version on the 'Someday Blues' CD.
3+ stars for the album, plus one more because anything from Trower is special.

While I think Mr. Trower is one of the most gifted guitarist walking the planet, this release does not do him justice. Davey Pattison sounds very good but most of the songs lack that magical spark one expects to hear from Robin. That being said, the final song THIS BLUE LOVE has that spark in spades! For that one song alone it was worth the price of the CD.