Reviews

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CRAIG ERICKSON PROJECT "SHINE" 2001 GROOVEYARD RECORDS

FEATURING Rob Lamothe and Glenn Hughes on Vocals

It has been over 18 months since we have heard any new recorded music from Rob Lamothe however, the wait has been worth it with the release of the new Craig Erickson album "Shine". Craig Erickson is one of the shinning lights in blues and blues based hard rock today. He has many influences that have driven his guitar playing from the obvious in Jimi Hendrix and Robin Trower to the somewhat forgotten genus of Tommy Bolin. The bottom line with Erickson is that he has what only the great players have and that is a "feel" for the music that he plays and it "shines" through on this album. This is his fifth solo album and first on Grooveyard Records also of note, is a brilliant release he did with Glenn Hughes called "Blues" that if you don't have it you should beg, borrow or steal to get it.

We are blessed to have Rob sing on six tunes on this album. This is the heaviest pure blues rock album that Rob has been involved in since his days in the Riverdogs. However, with that in mind, this is not the Riverdogs and for that matter this is not his solo work either. Rob Lamothe has a sense and feel for music that never allows him to be typecast in any particular style or mode of music and for that we should be grateful as this sense and feel allowed him to not only venture into this project, but turn it into one of the years best records. Rob, first appears on song two "Familiar" which is a straight ahead rock n roll song and the catchiest tune on the record. If this were a major label release this song would have hit single written all over it. I venture to say you will find yourself playing this song over and over and singing along with Rob the whole while. Song three treats us to a Hendrix inspired semi-slow blues thing called "Desperate". Song four is heavily influenced by Robin Trower (Erickson's playing is brilliant here) and is called "Remember Now" and would fit in nicely on "Bridge of Sighs" though Lamothe is a much better singer than Jim Dewar. We skip to song eight for Rob's next appearance on the title cut "Shine" a blues rocker that Rob's edgy vocals highlight. Also making an appearance is Lisa Winn who provides a sultry background vocal that accents the feel of the song. Craig Erickson's aggressive playing on this cut makes this the more than fitting title song. We next have to skip to song eleven for the bluesy ballad "Broke Down Love" where Craig Erickson plays perhaps his best guitar around the soft bluesy vocal of Rob Lamothe which is all accented by some subtle keyboard work that ties this brilliant song together. Finally, we get to song twelve the Hendrix song "Angel" which is the vocal showcase for Rob on this album. Craig Erickson's very laid-back and most subtle guitar work on the record sets up and stays in the background allowing Rob the opportunity at a tour de force vocal that is nothing short of brilliant. Very few singers could have pulled off the feel and inspiration required to make this song happen. Jimi Hendrix would approve of both Rob and Craig's performance.

As most of my Riverdog/Rob Lamothe friends know I am a huge fan of both Glenn Hughes (Tommy was his best friend) and the late Tommy Bolin and thus, to have the treat of Glenn singing my favorite Tommy Bolin tune "Wild Dogs" on the same album is to special to describe. Glenn Hughes, for those of you who have yet to hear him is one of the most soulful and gifted singers in music today. Joining him on "Wild Dogs" is Tommy Bolin's brother Johnny Bolin (presently a member of Black Oak Arkansas) on the drums. To say Hughes performance is anything short of inspired and brilliant would be an understatement. For those of you familiar with the work of Tommy Bolin (if not a starting place would be his legendary release "Teaser") you will realize that Hughes and Erickson are faithful to Bolin's original song while also making it their own song to boot.

In short this album is worth the purchase for the seven songs featuring Rob Lamothe and Glenn Hughes however, Craig Erickson himself is a pretty decent blues singer himself and his inspired playing (his playing on "Break Free" and "Bus Stop" (the Bolin influence obvious here) is jaw dropping stuff) makes the rest of the album more than worth the listen. Bottom line, is that it is great to hear Rob on a record again exploring some new avenues and playing with one of the finest blues guitar players in the business today. If you don't already have this one you need to go and get it!!