Hard Vision |
Walter Trout & The Radicals"Relentless-The Concert" Blues rock guitar great Walter Trout and his band have done something rather unique-they've recorded a live DVD/CD of all new material. The performance was recorded at a club called the Paradiso in Amsterdam, Holland. Trout and the Radicals put on a great show, giving it everything they've got. Trout is an absolutely brilliant guitarist. This guy is so underrated it's a crime! He can really tear up the fretboard like few guitarists I've seen! He's extremely gifted, and plays straight up blues rock, no frills, no gimmicks, just pure, raw talent. His music speaks for itself. While Trout does have his influences, such as Clapton, Vaughn, Trower, Hendrix, South, Mayall (whom he's played with), Beck, Thorogood, etc., he throws them all together to create a style that, while in the classic blues vein, is all his own. The other Radicals do a good job as well, and Walt lets them have a bit of the spotlight, in particular keysman Sammy Aliva, who plays a Hammond B-3, and really lets rip on his ivories many times throughout the concert. He's a great player who reminds me of Deep Purple's Jon Lord There are nineteen songs in all, most of 'em smokin' blues rock tunes, although there are a few where Walt and the boys slow down and get emotional, some of them being the mournful "Reason I'm Gone", "Cry If You Want To" (Walt wrote this for his son), "My Heart Is True", and a couple of acoustic numbers, "Lonely Tonight" and "Jericho Road" (inspired by the writings of Martin Luther King Jr.). One other song I liked was "Chatroom Girl", which takes a humorous look at people falling in "love" on the internet. In the last song, "Serves Me Right To Suffer", Walter really lets rip on his guitar and does a hell of a finale, with his drummer Joey Pafumi doing a solo. The whole concert is about two hours long and it's two hours of some of the best blues rock you'll ever hear by one of the best guitarists alive today! Walt and his boys kick ass from beginning to end! And there's also some bonus material; two extra songs, "Long Time Love" and the pedal to the metal, rockabilly flavored "Good Enough To Eat"; a "backstage pass" section, featuring commentary from the band and their fans; and interviews with Walt and his wife Marie, who is also his manager. If you're a guitar player/lover/blues fan who's never heard of Walter Trout, shame on you! Go out and get yourself this DVD and all of Trout's albums, and let him show you a trick or two! |