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|| DECRyPTED presents...
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|. :| _artist......: Charlie Lankester And The Mojo Killers
: || _album.......: Song In A Minor Key
: |: _year........: 2012
. | _genre.......: Rock
. | _style.......: Pop Rock
: _label.......: Midmoor Music
. _cat.nr......: MMLPC001
_source......: CDDA
_quality.....: avg. 262kbps / 44.1kHz
_encoder.....: .mp3 lame 3.98.4 vbr -v0 (except WEB)
_tracks......: 12
_size........: 98.25 MB
_length......: 52:28
_proof.......: Yes [x] / No [ ]
_url.........: charlielankester.co.uk
_tracklist...:
01. Greed 03:46
02. Drink My Blues Away 03:22
03. Brixton Road 04:36
04. Out There 06:14
05. The Spinning Of The Wheel 05:28
06. In My Time 03:27
07. Son In A Minor Key 02:58
08. Rio Grande 04:24
09. Ballad Of Scarborough Beach 04:41
10. The Real Real Gone 03:51
11. Troubled Mind 04:16
12. Closed Door 05:25
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52:28 min
_description.: What do you do when diagnosed with terminal cancer of
the liver the day before you finish mixing your first
solo album? Well, if you're Charlie Lankester, you get
right on with mixing and make sure it's the best thing
you've ever done.
Smart, honest and catchy as hell, with Songs in a Minor
Key, Lankester has given birth to a beautiful malange
of rock, soul, jazz and blues.
The guitar work, as with any great rock or blues album,
takes center stage, although Lankester's work on the
keys is a close contender. His smooth baritone fits so
well with the soft jazz twinkling of the keyboard and
somber blues of the guitar, it's hardly surprising
Lankester has been doing the rounds for over twenty
years now, playing with legends like BB King and Fats
Domino.
There's some real surprises on here though, with Goran
Ivanisevic thundering out of nowhere with a post-punk
anger that catches you off guard, if only because the
rest of the album is so geared towards that particular
blues rock style. In fairness though, the spectrum on
show here is so diverse, at times Lankester sounds like
Dylan with more bite, at others like a more excitable
Clapton.
The real highlights of Songs in a Minor Key, and there
are many, include mandolin-tinged folk track 'Ballad of
Scarborough Beach', rainy Sunday favourite 'Drink My
Blues Away' and frenzied rock opener 'Greed'. His style
recalls the pinpoint precision of Stevie Ray Vaughn,
but he has a warmth and originality all of his own.
Songs in a Minor Key is a compelling record spurned by
a real passion for blues inspired hard rock, but it
isn't perfect. Final track 'Closed Door' feels flat
despite an excellent guitar solo and some nice backing
from the organ. But that doesn't matter when you have
so many other tracks on offer, 'The Spinning of the
Wheel' is a Dire Straits-esque piece of anthemic
genius, and coupled with a Santana-like proficiency on
the fret-board it's easy to see why it's been chosen as
the first single of the album.
Thankfully Lankester's illness has shown signs of
improvement, and that's good news for more than just
Charlie himself. With his team of top musicians The
Mojo Killers, he has marked himself out a nice place in
modern blues music, hopefully he'll be occupying it for
some time.
2013.04.28
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Get the original - we did.