Thursday, May 03, 2007


Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges – Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges (Armadillo Music).

Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges has been playing the guitar for 40 years, since the age of 4, and is now basically on a perpetual touring regime. This new, eponymous album is a bit of a departure for Eugene insomuch that he has recorded it with musicians that he has met on the road rather than his normal full band. The 12 new songs begin with Piece Of The Mountain, which is Gospel with a silky vocal that will take you to heaven itself. This will cleanse your soul so you should listen to it at least once a day. Very clean sound (production). The gentle Life Has No Meaning is acoustic led and Country tinged with Lucky Oceans, co-founder of Asleep At The Wheel, on pedal steel. Special Friend is soulful and has good harmonies whereas Never Alone has a powerful vocal and could be described as modern Doo-Wop. Oceans returns on pedal steel for Baby Your Love, a Soul/Country crossover with Sam Cooke coming to mind. Bridges shows again that he has such a sweet voice on In Your Arms Tonight. This is another in the Sam Cooke, or even possibly Jackson Browne, arena. All this and he hasn’t really unleashed his guitar yet.

Look At Me Now is Soul but only average and a little disappointing. Even Eugene picking up the bass on this one doesn’t save it. Ain’t Got Time has Bridges on Resonator guitar and playing the blues at last. It’s simple in its application and invariably that’s the best way. He could also go electric on this one to great effect, I am sure. Love Got The Best Of Me is a slow, classy blues with a B.B. King style vocal and has the best guitar work so far. I thought that I was getting We Will Rock You at the beginning of Big Legged Woman but Bridges soon dispels that. This turns out to be an acoustic blues, just guitar and percussion. He’s coming on to a game now but the Country/Blues of I Can’t Wait is a bit too sweet and nothing spectacular. Man And His Guitar finishes things off. This is a jazzy blues with Clayton Doley on Hammond and finishes up as a great end to the album. When Bridges lets loose on guitar he really makes it sing. Add that to his heavenly voice and you have an artist in his prime.

http://www.bluearmadillo.com/

David Blue.

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