Gwyn Ashton
Ellie from Prescription PR recently dropped us a line about the new record, Radiogram, from Gwyn Ashton, the follow up to his 2009 offering, Two-Man Blues Army. Whilst not yet a household name, Gwyn Ashton is a master of electric, acoustic and slide guitars, having been voted third place as Guitarist of the Year, behind Jeff Beck and Gary Moore – so he did pretty damned well! Described as a hard driving renegade rock and blues album, the album isn’t short of big names, offering up Don Airey (Deep Purple, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath), Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds), Robbie Blunt (Robert Plant, Bronco, Silverhead), Johnny Mastro (LA’s Mama’s Boys), Mark Stanway (Magnum, Phil Lynott), Mo Birch (UB40, Go West, Culture Club),up and coming guitarist, Henry Parker and newly recruited drummer, Kev Hickman. Mixed by Lost Prophets producer Justin Hopfer and mastered all the way over in Australia by Don Bartley (only the bloke who EMI got to remaster Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band…by that small band called The Beatles), this is a record which SHOULD be pretty damned cool if you believe what it says on paper – so what of the music.
Little Girl sets things in motion with an example of the slide guitar mastery mentioned before, launching us into a country-esque feeling track, tinged with an edge of blues before ushering in the pumping riff to get things fully moving. Funky and firmly rooted in the rocky blues sector of the market, this is a track which is going to get you dancing, moving and having a damned good time accompanied by the sound track on offer. Catchy to the point you’ll be singing along within a couple of listens, this opening track sets the scene for a quality album to follow, showing that rock and blues are alive and well! Don’t Wanna Fall and Let Me In both follow this convention further, continuing to develop the sound of the album and incorporating different elements throughout. Throw in a harmonica, some more funky guitar lines and a roving bass line and what you’ve got is an album waiting to be a classic already.
Fortunate Kind once again continues the idea of blues orientated rock music, the funky edge continuing to be evident despite the slowed down and more emotional track on offer. This slowed down approach serves to fully accentuate the different elements on offer here, showing off the guitar work, the soft yet effective drum work and the vocal line, all working together to form into a mix which isn’t heavy, isn’t over the top, but works effectively doing exactly what it should be. I Just Wanna Make Love To You comes up next and, as the title suggests, offers up a cover version of the classic Willie Dixon track of epic proportions, transforming the track into an almost unrecognisable blues rock version which is going to stand out as (in my opinion) better than the original. Most notable here is the guitar work, suddenly revealing why Gwyn has received the acclaim he has, this is mastery on a whole new level.
Dog Eat Dog and Angel return us to the more conventional tracks from the album, the latter offering up an emotionally laden blues number, sparking comparisons to the likes of Hendrix at times but still managing to firmly stamp a unique approach to things on the recording. Angel is one of my personal favourites from the album, there’s just something about the way it progresses and moves that brings the track to life, almost defining the style of Gwyn in one fell swoop, a track to get hold of if you can for sure. For Your Love comes a close second place in my opinion, breaking the track down to simply a vocal line and some intricate guitar work to get things going, showing that when it comes to packing a punch, sometimes the most simple approach is the most effective. Layered vocals, funky basslines and more of those intricate guitar lines all work together in harmony throughout this track to form it into something deep, powerful, and downright dirty – another track to make sure you check out.
Comin’ Home marks the penultimate track on the album, building on the broken down approach of the previous track to form something deeper and more full, the gravelly vocal line combining with a sludgy guitar line and simple drum beat, forming into another track which is sure to get people dancing and moving from the off. It’s striking how he’s managed to differ the guitar styles within the same track, somehow combining all of them into a track which once again, showcases his ability and shows that rock and blues was the true roots of what is listened to nowadays. It’s only left then for Bluz For Roy to close the album finishing with one final hurrah of guitar work and blues orientated approaches. I’m a big fan of proper blues music, so to hear a track like this was a real treat for me, and has given me a track which I know I’ll be coming back to time and time again. The guitar work here is sublime from start to finish, matching the soft and effective drums and removing all need for vocals, the guitar work does the job perfectly and leaves no room for anything else – it’s a hell of a finish to a quality album.
From start to finish, Radiogram presents us with the finest guitar work, blues rock and tracks which will remind you why you started listening to rock in the first place. Intricate doesn’t seem to come close to describing the sound on offer here, as simply this album is a triumph from start to finish. If you buy one album this year, then make it this one from Gwyn Ashton, due for release on the 22nd of October, this is one not to miss.
To find out more about Gwyn Ashton, check out his Facebook page HERE.
Check out the video for Little Girl below.
Words: Dave Nicholls.
Little Girl sets things in motion with an example of the slide guitar mastery mentioned before, launching us into a country-esque feeling track, tinged with an edge of blues before ushering in the pumping riff to get things fully moving. Funky and firmly rooted in the rocky blues sector of the market, this is a track which is going to get you dancing, moving and having a damned good time accompanied by the sound track on offer. Catchy to the point you’ll be singing along within a couple of listens, this opening track sets the scene for a quality album to follow, showing that rock and blues are alive and well! Don’t Wanna Fall and Let Me In both follow this convention further, continuing to develop the sound of the album and incorporating different elements throughout. Throw in a harmonica, some more funky guitar lines and a roving bass line and what you’ve got is an album waiting to be a classic already.
Fortunate Kind once again continues the idea of blues orientated rock music, the funky edge continuing to be evident despite the slowed down and more emotional track on offer. This slowed down approach serves to fully accentuate the different elements on offer here, showing off the guitar work, the soft yet effective drum work and the vocal line, all working together to form into a mix which isn’t heavy, isn’t over the top, but works effectively doing exactly what it should be. I Just Wanna Make Love To You comes up next and, as the title suggests, offers up a cover version of the classic Willie Dixon track of epic proportions, transforming the track into an almost unrecognisable blues rock version which is going to stand out as (in my opinion) better than the original. Most notable here is the guitar work, suddenly revealing why Gwyn has received the acclaim he has, this is mastery on a whole new level.
Dog Eat Dog and Angel return us to the more conventional tracks from the album, the latter offering up an emotionally laden blues number, sparking comparisons to the likes of Hendrix at times but still managing to firmly stamp a unique approach to things on the recording. Angel is one of my personal favourites from the album, there’s just something about the way it progresses and moves that brings the track to life, almost defining the style of Gwyn in one fell swoop, a track to get hold of if you can for sure. For Your Love comes a close second place in my opinion, breaking the track down to simply a vocal line and some intricate guitar work to get things going, showing that when it comes to packing a punch, sometimes the most simple approach is the most effective. Layered vocals, funky basslines and more of those intricate guitar lines all work together in harmony throughout this track to form it into something deep, powerful, and downright dirty – another track to make sure you check out.
Comin’ Home marks the penultimate track on the album, building on the broken down approach of the previous track to form something deeper and more full, the gravelly vocal line combining with a sludgy guitar line and simple drum beat, forming into another track which is sure to get people dancing and moving from the off. It’s striking how he’s managed to differ the guitar styles within the same track, somehow combining all of them into a track which once again, showcases his ability and shows that rock and blues was the true roots of what is listened to nowadays. It’s only left then for Bluz For Roy to close the album finishing with one final hurrah of guitar work and blues orientated approaches. I’m a big fan of proper blues music, so to hear a track like this was a real treat for me, and has given me a track which I know I’ll be coming back to time and time again. The guitar work here is sublime from start to finish, matching the soft and effective drums and removing all need for vocals, the guitar work does the job perfectly and leaves no room for anything else – it’s a hell of a finish to a quality album.
From start to finish, Radiogram presents us with the finest guitar work, blues rock and tracks which will remind you why you started listening to rock in the first place. Intricate doesn’t seem to come close to describing the sound on offer here, as simply this album is a triumph from start to finish. If you buy one album this year, then make it this one from Gwyn Ashton, due for release on the 22nd of October, this is one not to miss.
To find out more about Gwyn Ashton, check out his Facebook page HERE.
Check out the video for Little Girl below.
Words: Dave Nicholls.