Eric McFadden

It’s easier to list the people that McFadden hasn’t played with in his career but he has been the guitarist of choice for the George Clinton P-Funk Allstars, Les Claypool. Eric Burdon, Stockholm Syndrome,Joe Strummer, Reverend Horton Heat … the list goes on and on.

So, not a debut artist and this album definitely shows his talents in rock, Blues, Gospel and even his flamenco chops but I didn’t get the feeling that he was showing off – this is music that he really wants to play and really believes in.

McFadden enlists some renowned musicians on Pain By Numbers: Doug Wimbish (from legendary rock band Living Color) on bass; Terrence Higgins (Warren Haynes, Ani DiFranco) on drums; and the Tab Benoit (who also produced the album) on keyboards.

There is a feeling of openness and vulnerability that runs through the 12 tracks here, not weak or cowering but expressing his emotions and accepting his pain without rancour.

Take a number such as ‘The Girl Has Changed’ – a belting rocker that pulls no punches but the subject matter is actually not personal. As McFadden says "This song will likely speak to anyone who has witnessed a friend or family member become consumed or transformed by drugs, fame or whatever else might potentially compel someone to lose themselves. “

There is darkness in the playing as well in tracks like ‘Skeleton Key’ which has a burning and gritty riff or in ‘So Hard To Leave’ with its Gary Moore style guitar lines (McFadden is one of few guitarists that can carry it off) and haunting keyboards. McFadden again - "This song is more of an emotional reaction than a composition. What you’re hearing here is the first thing I played and sang when I picked up the guitar in that moment. This one was practically finished before I wrote it. As with so many songs, this one is born of pain. It’s pretty self-explanatory. Wrote it in two days before the recording of the album."

He can play soft as well and ‘I Never Listened Too Good’ played on an acoustic, leaving his vocal exposed and vulnerable but still carrying the song brilliantly.

To be honest, I didn’t expect to really like this album but it really got to me from the opening dirty Blues of ‘While You Were Gone’ and it is taking a regular slot on my rotation – damn good album.