Ben Rice – Wish The World Away
Format: CD – Digital / Label: Self-produced
Releasedatum: 30 juni 2018
Tekst: Iain Patience
Ben Rice is a young US bluesman with bags of talent and mighty fine fretwork. ‘Wish the World Away’ is maybe his first solo effort though some may recognize the name from a joint release with Lucy Hammond, a few short years ago, an album that also hit the spot in many ways. In addition, Rice has also put out a host of albums with his own band and picked up a Best Guitarist Award from those guys at the Memphis IBC awards in 2015.
With this thirteen-track offering, Rice has not only pushed the solo boat out,but exposed his own writing to the critical spotlight. A dozen of the tracks come from his own pen with Stevie Wonder making up the total with a fine cover of Higher Ground, here given a more fret-focussed feel and quality.
The album kicks off strongly with a fine, roaring bit of resonator guitar matched by Rice’s fine vocal depth before ripping through a range of emotions, slide-work and straight-on, full-tilt acoustic-driven blues music., with twists and turns featuring similarly impressive electric guitar. For those yet to discover this guy, Rice may well prove to be something of genuine surprise, and for lovers of steel and slide fretwork a positive pleasure.
Recorded at US drum-master Jimi Bott’s Roseleaf Studios in Portland, Oregon, the album has a wonderfully polished feel and vibe, no doubt helped by Bott’s own input as both performer and producer, as Bott is easily one of the US’s finest drum sidemen. Overall, this is an album well worth tracking down, guaranteed to be something of a pleasure for most blues lovers whatever the stripe might be.
Tracks:
01. Dirt Road Home
02. Peace Will Overcome
03. Retreat
04. Mojo Hand
05. Wish The World Away
06. The One That Got Away
07. Hardtimes
08. If You Ever Change Your Mind
09. Higher Ground
10. Run Around
11. Oh Lord
12. Get There
13. Don’t Worry Mama
Website: Ben Rice
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