SIMON McBRIDE

Following 2008 debut album 'Rich Man Falling', virtuoso Irish blues guitarist Simon McBride delivers sophomore full length 'Since Then' two years later, and I guess the title could rhetorically allude to his progression as both a musician and songwriter since that initial solo release as he has further refined his compositional abilities. This is clearly witnessed in the new material on offer here. Winning Guitarist Magazine's 'Young Guitarist of the Year' competition at just 15 and exercising his fretboard talents in Sweet Savage who invited him to join their ranks not long after he turned 16, McBride left said band in 1998 to spend the next ten years playing in various Belfast-based acts. So it's taken him a long time to make the transition to fully-fledged solo artist, but based on the quality of music on 'Since Then' (and 'Rich Man Falling'), one wonders why he waited until 2008 to go it alone. Not only does he exude highly developed guitar skills through some accomplished soloing, but McBride also has one hell of a voice that is most apposite for the blues genre within which he plays. The fourteen cuts on offer here perhaps sound more cohesive than the songs on his debut, lending a more congruous feel to the album, but that's most likely because these new tracks were written over a short period of time rather than drawing from songs and riffs composed over several years as was the case with 'Rich Man Falling'. While there's nothing groundbreakingly original or inherently innovative in McBride's music, there is still something very fresh sounding about his take on the blues and that's probably testament to his songwriting abilities where he's able to infuse enough imaginative melodies to sustain interest in each of the songs combined with well-placed lead work that makes captivating listening both in its execution and tonally rich sonics. A PRS endorsee, he certainly knows how to get the best out of his axe sound-wise. And the production of the album is also another strength, by McBride's own hand alongside Richard Pavitt. Simon McBride could very well become one of the blues genre's most exciting musicians. Time will tell, but based on this second full length offering, he's certainly moving in the right direction. Go get yourselves a fix right now.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Nugene Records

Album

SINCE THEN

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

56:48

RELEASE DATE:

27th Sept 2010

TRACK LISTING

1) Take My Hand; 2) Hell Waters Rising
3) Save Me; 4) Down to the Wire
5) Be My Baby
6) From the Other Side
7) The Promise
8) Tear Down Your Soul
9) Dead Man Walking
10) Dancing on the Sidewalk
11) Sweet Angel; 12) Coming Home
13) Devils Road
14) The Truth

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

UK

"...he's able to infuse enough imaginative melodies to sustain interest in each of the songs combined with well-placed lead work that makes captivating listening both in its execution and tonally rich sonics."