ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 7, 1986
By Steve Newton
Some people slough Robin Trower off as a Hendrix clone, without realizing that there’s something special and unique about his guitar playing. Trower always seems to inject a whole lotta soul into his songs.
Of course, the fact that he’s had bassist/vocalists such as Jack Bruce and James Dewar out front hasn’t hurt the soul quotient. Unfortunately, it’s the vocals that are the weakest link on Trower’s latest LP, Beyond the Mist. New singer Dave Bronze just doesn’t compare to his predecessors. The live versions of Trower’s “Back It Up” and “Bridge of Sighs” suffer for it.
Five of the seven tracks on Beyond the Mist were recorded live at the Marquee in London, but it’s only the two new studio-recorded songs that show Trower in top form. “The Last Time” is a chugging rocker along the lines of “Back It Up” and “Keeping a Secret” simmers slowly with Robin’s bluesy riffs lingering throughout.
Not one of his better albums, Beyond the Mist is best suited to Trower fanatics.
Shitty review. I love this album and think Bronxe did an exceptional job on all vocals.
meh