Kirk Fletcher
Hold On
Kirk Fletcher Records
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For
Hold On, his fifth album as a solo, guitarist
Kirk Fletcher teamed with drummer Matt Brown and
keyboardist Jonny Henderson to record in a
classic organ trio setting. He penned all eight
of the songs with a little help from a couple of
friends, and he plays some of the finest guitar
that I’ve heard on a blues album (actually, ANY
genre) this year, which is no surprise given
his already-impressive résumé previously serving
as guitarist for the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kim
Wilson, Charlie Musselwhite, Doyle Bramhall
Sr., the Mannish Boys, and Joe Bonamassa at
various times over the past couple of decades.
The
scorching opener, “Two Steps Forward,” finds
Fletcher sharing spirited vocals with Mahalia
Barnes and adding some equally spirited wah-wah
guitar work (with nods to Hendrix and Layla-era
Clapton as well) that more than likely resulted
in more than a few jaws hitting the floor in the
studio. On the soul burner, “You Need Me,”
Fletcher hits a deep soul vein with his vocals
and his nimble guitar. The trio head on down to
New Orleans for the energetic “Sad Sad Day,”
hitting a mean second line groove that dares
listeners to sit still.
“The
Answer” is the album’s centerpiece --- a splendid
slow blues clocking in at just over eight
minutes. Fletcher’s guitar work is
breathtaking, stunning in its poignancy as well
as its potency. “Time’s Ticking” is a crunching
mid-tempo blues rocker with drums at a marching
pace and a positively blistering guitar solo.
The instrumental “Dupree” is a nice change of
pace, an upbeat tribute to the late jazz
/blues/R&B guitarist Cornell Dupree, one of
Fletcher’s heroes.
“Gotta Right” is a Chicago blues shuffle which
is Fletcher’s purest blues track on the disc,
and he really burns it up on guitar and vocals
(it’s been really cool to watch him gain
confidence as a vocalist over the years). On the
closing, gospel-flavored title track, Fletcher
pleads for worldwide unity with sweet vocal
backing from Jade McCrea.
Hold
On is a superb entry into Kirk Fletcher’s solo
catalog. Already one of the best blues guitarist
currently practicing, he’s rapidly becoming an
excellent singer and songwriter as well. Blues
guitar fans need this disc in their collection.
--- Graham Clarke