Release Date: Apr 14, 2015
Genre(s): Blues, Pop/Rock, Blues-Rock, Album Rock, Hard Rock
Record label: Linus Entertainment
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The Bachman in question is Randy, guitarist/singer of 70s Canadian rock behemoths Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and this is his first solo album of new material in a straightforward rock vein for some time. That said, what makes this album good (when it is good) is the fact that Bachman isn’t just Randy alone, but a rock-solid power trio: Bachman plus Anna Ruddick on bass and drummer Dale Anne Brendon. Musically speaking, it’s a pretty fair three-way split, with Brendon really providing the heart of the record.
Randy Bachman gives away the game with the very title of Heavy Blues. The guitarist decided to devote himself to over-amplified blues on this 2015 project, teaming with a new rhythm section (one that just happens to be female), and inviting a bunch of friends to add solos to his new songs. Each guitarist -- including his old pal Neil Young, modern-day bluesman Joe Bonamassa, and Peter Frampton -- recorded their solo over a finished mix, which explains the presence of the late Jeff Healey and also how the guitarists don't necessarily seem fully integrated into the album.
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