KIWR PSB - Rick Fowler 'Back on My Good Foot'

[BluesNews]

Artist: Rick Fowler
Title: Back on My Good Foot
Writer: Rick Galusha

Rick Fowler’s latest album, ‘Back on My Good Foot’ is a well performed album. Fowler’s voice compliments the style and his high energy playing is tasteful and not over-bearing. He can play: he can sin g… but like so many twang-bar kings, Fowler’s apparent weakness is his songwriting. From the opening bass lines of, ‘Infected with the Blues’ Fowler delves into blues clichés including; preachers, crossroads, devils and demons. It shows that being a very good guitar playing does not make you a songwriter.

On, ‘Running from the Truth’ Fowler tries his hand at political commentary, taking a cynical stance towards our two party-system while offering no solutions; simply bitching. I can’t cite the source but, “Democracy is an absolutely terrible government – but it the best form of government on the planet.” In many ways cynicism is a cop out and makes for bad lyrical filler.

This is a fan’s album. It is very well played and arranged. The best track on the record is a cover of the Savoy Brown tune, ‘Hellbound Train’ where Fowler stretches out and showcases his chops. As a sideman Fowler has an impressive list of friends and employers. Occasionally a vanity project is a diamond in the rough but, ‘Back on My Good Foot’ is not cutting any new ground here.

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