Esoteric (label)
29 April 2013 (released)
14 May 2013
This was the third album from Juicy Lucy and at the time they were rated as a better bet than a certain Led Zeppelin as a band for the future!
The lineup on this album had changed from that of ‘Lie Back And Enjoy It’ and they had moved to the Bronze record label but the sound was still hard and heavu Blues with a growl and some great playing.
Glenn Ross Campbell (Steel guitar) and Chris Mercer (Sax and keys) were joined by Paul Williams on vocals, Micky Moody on lead guitar and Jim Leverton on bass plus Rod Coombes on drums. The new lineup still played the same raw style but the weight of expectations was possibly too high and this album didn’t sell as well as the first two: A shame really as a few of the tracks are quite superb.
They open with a cover of Spirit’s ‘Mr Skin’ and proceed to add some honk to it a lose some of the lightweight style of Spirit. ‘Midnight Sun’ boogies like a brute and if memory serves this was one of the live standouts of the band at the time – great to dance to and some fine steel guitar.
My favourite track is a cover of Greg Allman’s ‘Midnight Rider’ that keeps the soul of the original.
Paul Williams definitely brought some songwriting talent to the band and his numbers are natural fits to the more subtle and less sub-Beefheart playing of the band but they also play ti their strengths on Bob Darn’s ‘Harvest’.
All in all this is a fine album that grows on you with every playing – the band are still around and well worth catching live although none of the original members are left.
