Walter Trout - The Blues Came Callin' (Album Review)
Monday, 02 June 2014
Written by Simon Ramsay
Photo: Jeff Katz
During the recording of this album, blues-rock icon Walter Trout was extremely ill, awaiting a liver transplant that subsequently arrived in the very nick of time. It's therefore no surprise that ‘The Blues Came Callin’’ is a poignant, deeply affecting work that could have only come from someone staring down the barrel of their own mortality.
Although he's never released anything that could be classed as a bad album, in recent years Trout's work has hit stunning highs. 'Blues For The Modern Daze', his 2011 album, stitched contemporary global concerns onto a quilt of classic blues styles, while 2013's 'Blues For Luther' was a boisterous tribute to the late Luther Allison.
Picking up where those gems left off, 'The Blues Came Callin'’ – released to mark Trout's 25th year as a solo artist - is equally potent, fuelled by the realisation that it may be his swan song.
Opener Wastin' Away sets the emotionally complex tone, with Trout refusing to airbrush his struggle as he addresses his dramatic weight loss: “Looking in the mirror and I don't know who I see, so I take another look, and it still don't look like me.” The lyrical turmoil is counterbalanced by incendiary soloing that highlights his defiant determination to fight.
Such feelings are further explored on the breathtaking Bottom Of The River, a ghostly blues number that marches along with acoustic picking, foreboding drums and wailing harmonica. It's the story of a drowning man facing his maker before resolving to defy death and get back to the surface. The icing on the cake is an uncharacteristically restrained solo that strikes with maximum impact as a result of its economy. To say it may be the finest song he's recorded doesn't come close to doing it justice.
Trout's always opinionated about global issues and illness hasn't blunted his ire, as evidenced on The World Is Goin' Crazy (And So Am I). Its lyrics are clichéd compared to past efforts, but the stomping rhythm and coruscating fretwork epitomise his frustrations. The swerving, harmonica-led Willie better exemplifies Trout at his most cutting, as he vents about music business suits who ripped him off for their own financial gain.
He also reflects on matters of personal significance, with the smog-filled bluesy grind of Born In The City echoing his love of gritty urban living, while Nobody Moves Me Like You Do – dedicated to his wife Marie - is a total weepy as his passionate soloing expresses every heartfelt nuance of his devotion and gratitude.
There are some lighter touches too, with Take A Little Time a Chuck Berry-style rock ‘n' roller that encourages balancing modern pressures with finding love, while Mayall's Piano Boogie – featuring Trout’s mentor John Mayall – and the Freddie King-aping Tied Shoes are perky instrumental toe tappers that, although generic, offer some respite from heavier matters.
Even in his weakened state, Trout's playing remains turbo-charged, with the explosive licks on The Whale hitting wonderful peaks as his exceptional band swell to back their leader’s scorching dynamism. The loss of 100lb has affected his vocals though, leaving them slightly thinner and less forceful. They certainly haven't descended to Bob Dylan levels of frailty, though, and given the context they are strangely appropriate.
With Trout doing well after his transplant, this record feels more hopeful than it may have done. It's intimately revealing, brutally honest and, in spite of the difficult content, massively entertaining.
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