Walter Trout gets deep and bluesy
Walter Trout's music is classic, and there is simple no other way to describe it. The amusingly named, "Deep Trout" is a collection of his early works including 3 previously unreleased tracks. There is a mixture of tracks from 4 albums, charting various periods of his career and including tracks co-written by several members of his band.
Apparently Walter is now a household name, but for those of you who he's passed by he's pretty well qualified to pick up a guitar, having been voted 6th in a BBC Poll of All Time Guitar Players and 2001 "Guitarist of the Year". There are a lot of names that are usually dropped in connection to Walter Trout, John Lee Hooker, John Mayall's Bluesbreaker and Canned Heat to name a few, but frankly they're unnecessary as Trout's blues rock talent stands alone.
The first track "Put It Right Back" is a perfect opener with squealing guitar solos and swinging blues line, the solos are of the epic variety that every kid plays air guitar to in his bedroom; this explains why some of the tracks stretch up to an almost prog rock length of 7 minutes. "The Love That We Once Knew" is a moody lament, still managing to fit in a well-mastered guitar solo amongst the remorseful verses. "How Much Do You Want" enters redneck territory with a harmonica mimicking Trout's vocals, complete with New Jersey twang on the intro, but it's quick to descend into a thick full band affair. It deals with problems with the band's management, who I'm sure weren't too heartbroken to have such a funky tune written about them. "Victor the Cajun" attempts to emulate the spicy and gorgeous taste of Cajun cookery with a jazzy horn section. "Earrings on the Table" is a brief interlude in the form of a gentle understated ballad with rippling acoustic guitar. And so the album continues with a mass of perfectly choreographed groovy tunes. The last three tracks, "Life in the Jungle", "Big Chain" and "So Sad to be Lonely" are previously unreleased material to tempt the fan
It's obvious that this is an extremely well produced album by a talent writer and band, but unless you're a dedicated blues fan the 'widdly' guitar solos start to get a little too much. But if you’re looking for something mellow and full of rhythm most of the tracks on this album will do perfectly well. This is a blues album full of vibrant colour driven by the amazing guitar playing of Walter Trout.