On “Icons,” Bernie Marsden — an unassuming man who wouldn’t have believed you if you’d told him he was one himself — pays homage to some of the greats.
He’d done this before, of course, with his trio of albums prior to his death, but this one sees him take on some of the true classics.
As I always say, I’m not a blues purist, but I do know most of them. However, it’s one I didn’t that stood out.
“Kestrel” is so gentle and lovely that it even made the commute to work better the other day. Its calming sounds are a perfect example of why this “Inspirations” series is so good — because, to be frank, there’s nothing better than the blues played well.
“Icons” kicks off with the glorious shuffle of “Shake Your Moneymaker,” and the enjoyment all concerned get from it is palpable.
Derek and the Dominoes’ “Bell Bottom Blues” belies its subject matter by sounding like a warm breeze. And if, when I scanned the track list, my reaction to seeing “Purple Haze” was somewhat similar to that woman on hearing there was another election — “oh no, not another one” — then this is Bernie, and he gives it a light touch.
“Born Under a Bad Sign” is as classic as it gets, and he still adds something to it. And if there are a couple of Rory Gallagher tunes, then it’s tempting to say there damn well should be, given that he’s one of the few men in Marsden’s league.
There’s another Rory song in the superb “Calling Card,” and if it takes bravery to take that on, it takes real skill to make it your own. That’s exactly what happens here.
The beauty of this record is that it’s not afraid to take on the classics you’ve heard before. Whether it’s “Oh Well” or “Jessica,” Marsden loves them as much as you do — and he plays them with deference and respect.
“Like It This Way” gets down to it with a proper boogie, and the energy rises, while the sadness at the core of the second Fleetwood Mac offering, “Man of the World,” is at odds with the rest of the record.
It all ends with what appears to be a new Marsden recording: “Barford Blues,” an instrumental named after the Cotswolds village. It underlines something — not for the first time: if it’s true to say there’s nothing better than the blues played well, then there’s no one better at playing it than Bernie Marsden.
Rating: 9/10
