LIFE IN THE JUNGLE

Walter Trout Band CD Review

It was a long time coming, nearly fourteen years, but the Walter Trout Band recording, entitled: LIFE IN THE JUNGLE is finally available in the U.S. on the RUF label.

Recorded in the summer of 1989 in Stockholm, Sweden, this is a full blown, high-octane collection of tunes by a stellar band led by Walter Trout on vocal and guitar.  If you like your Blues fried, open faced with a slice of Hendrix on the side, you’ll love these ten classic tunes by one of the  great contemporary blues artists, Walter Trout.  Walter’s legendary guitar riffs are rife with the sounds of 60’s Chicago and San Francisco influences.  He plays with a deliberate style and concentration that is comforting; just sit back and let Walter take you along for the ride. Whether you’re having the Harley club over for burgers and beer or just doing some major housecleaning, pop this CD in the machine and feel the energy as it fills the room.

  The first track, “Good Enough to Eat” features Walter on vocals and guitar and a rare but tasty bit of harmonica.  The track has a bigger than life quality to it.  Walter plays some blazing guitar, but his band is more than up to the task of accompanying him.  Jim Trapp plays his bass off, while Leroy Larson provides the solid drums necessary to maintain the dynamic pace.  Rather than a second guitar, Dan Abrams keyboards provide the rhythm to complete the band.

  It is very common nowadays for the contemporary guitarslingers such as Walter Trout to include a Hendrix number in their acts and on their recordings.  This CD features a nine and a half-minute recording of “Red House,” recorded live in Denmark at the 1989 Midtfyn festival.  If you’re gonna do Hendrix, you gotta do him right, and Walter pulls out all the stops on this one.  There are two other tracks from the Midtfyn festival, including “Serve Me Right to Suffer,” a song Walter co-wrote with the great John Lee Hooker.  With Larson’s splashing cymbals and Abram’s organ, Walter Trout puts on a blues clinic, shredding his voice and his fingers most effectively.  Besides being a consummate guitarist, Walter sings with a voice that I would gladly walk to the crossroads to purchase.  But you don’t need to take on the Devil to hear this recording, because “Life in the Jungle” is here and waiting for you at your local record store, or you can check out Walter’s website at www.WALTERTROUT.com.