Provogue/Mascot (label)
28 January 2022 (released)
05 January 2022
Eric Gales has lived a life already and this album sees him looking deeply into his past misdeeds and indiscretions.
He is five years sober and the album acts as a stepping point into his new future.
It is a hell of a tough Blues album, touching on all sorts of traumas including suffering from racism, drug use and being dismissed by many. But it is a really positive album, the sort that comes after a creative rebirth and he is sounding better than he has done for many years.
The album is loaded with some stunning writing, especially ‘I Want My Crown’ (featuring Joe Bonamassa) and the powerful ‘Survivor’ and every song has a meaningful subject – such a change from the norm.
Gales vocals are strong, he has a clear singing voice loaded with expression and his guitar playing is a wonder. Elements of Hendrix, Albert King, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson abound but he has his own phrasing and he solos with a really easy style.
The album was produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith and they have given him a dark and funky sound. There are plenty of horns filling out the sound but the guitar really is at the forefront and it has a swagger and a sharp rip that really sounds fresh today.
As an album standing alone, it is a superb Blues album but considering Gales history and his new found confidence it is also a remarkable one. 16 tracks that all grab the ear and force you to listen to the album straight through, time and again.
A real keeper.
