Aynsley Lister - Tower Sessions(2010)





[4:13] 1. Soundman
[4:17] 2. Sugar Low
[9:44] 3. Purple Rain
[3:48] 4. Quiet Boy!
[5:53] 5. Early Morning Dew
[6:50] 6. What's It All About
[6:55] 7. Hurricane
[6:02] 8. Hero
[9:33] 9. With Me Tonight
[5:02] 10. Crosstown Traffic
[4:35] 11. In The Morning

As a long time fan of Aynsley Lister’s playing I have long felt that he ought to have put out another live album by now and now, in entirely his own way, we finally get it – and it is damn fine!

In typical, iconoclastic fashion this was actually recorded live but without an audience, the intention being to capture the band as they are at this moment in time. The band consists of Mr Lister on guitar and vocals, Simon Small on drums and vocals, Midus on bass and vocals and Dan Healey on keys and to my ear they are probably the best and most sympathetic band that Lister has had around him; the end result is that the guitar playing is allowed to stand out at its absolute best with the roiling keyboard fills of Healey filling out the sound.

Coming off the back of a long European tour the band wanted to capture the live feeling they had managed to develop through the tour and in the main they manage it brilliantly. Lister’s guitar is screaming – his slide on 'Sugar Low’ is terrific – Healey’s keyboards on numbers like 'Early Morning’ and 'Hurricane’ fill the sound and allow Aynsley to concentrate the guitar play without losing the soul and roar of the band and the rhythm section is so much more than the usual dull plod of many Blues bands as they provide the tempo and drive behind the magic up front. I was lucky enough to see Lister live a little while back and I could see the beginnings of a band of above average intensity and musicality – this album delivers what I saw that night.

They finally manage to get their version of 'Purple Rain’ on record and the 9 ½ minutes or so are simply huge, intense and passionate without getting twee or mawkish and another live favourite 'Hero’ comes over with real brio and drive.
'With Me Tonight’ is dark and brooding with a simply beautiful guitar opening before developing into a truly classic Blues workout and the band’s version of Hendrix’ 'Crosstown Traffic’ is great fun.

Listening to the band cooking and Lister’s guitar especially you cannot help but be impressed but my only caveat is that sometimes they could benefit from a specialist vocalist – his voice is pretty good but there are moments when a full blooded bellow would take the music up just that tiny extra step.

Lister is absolutely one of the best of his generation of British guitarists and his band is the best he has been with; it is about time he captured all that live talent on record – job done.
_{Quelle:Music-News.com}


Remi