Gary Moore
Bad for You Baby

It’s raining, and at the same time, surely sublime notes are hailing from Gary’s Les Paul in this beautiful photo of one of his outdoor concerts, disrupted by bad weather. The sneer peeking out from beneath his still thick bush of hair is perfect for keeping a memory of this splendid guitarist and bluesman, who left us a few years after this last album, dated 2008.

This is yet another blazing album of vigorous rock blues, with the emphasis on blues. Eleven songs, seven of which written by him, plus two Muddy Waters covers and one each from J.B. Lenoir and Al Kooper. The lineup accompanying him had proven to be ideal for him over the years: bass, drums, and organ. With occasional reinforcements, like the Taylor family—Otis on banjo and his daughter (and bassist) Cassie on backing vocals.

The pieces written by Gary are clear, well-crafted, soaked in all the possible influences he absorbed from a young age, which take turns coming out and allow him to forge a blues that belongs to everyone and to none of them in particular. Some names? Peter Green, Willie Dixon, B.B. King, Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Albert Collins…

He then adds his own mark, starting with his voice, sincere and gritty or melancholic and wounded, in the quieter tracks. And then his guitar, brawny to say the least, torrential in the rock tracks and in the more “up-tempo” boogies, only to become an incredibly expressive lament, brimming with nuances, when the pace slows and the need is to wail about some romantic misadventure.

This final work by the great Moore is rather light on true slow numbers: just a couple of slow blues, starting with “Did You Ever Feel Lonely”, very traditional in its structure but always a pleasure to listen to thanks to his top-notch guitar playing on display. And then the closing “Trouble Ain’t Far Behind”, even slower, where the old Gibson is made to sing once again, in a way only he was capable of—calm and inspired.

The track I find most brilliant is the mid-tempo “Preacher Man Blues”, a hypnotic boogie where our hero really lets loose especially with the harmonica, adding some variety to the record. Certainly, the last three or four albums in Moore’s career before his premature passing resemble each other quite a lot: the diversifications and experiments ended, as well as the una tantum supergroups (I’m referring to BBM and Scars). What we get here is traditionalist blues, but strong and powerful, and this is where the much-missed Northern Irishman is truly missed. Because he was the best at this, hands down.