River by Terry Reid

12 May

Written by Mark Keresman
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If there’s a recurrent theme/thread in some of my recent reviews, it must be that which writer Nick Tosches referred to as "that silly and unmissed decade," the 1970s. Take this long-lost, now-found gem, f’r instance: Terry Reid’s River. Terry Reid emerged from the same 60s UK blues-rock boom as The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin (LZ’s Jimmy Page once asked Reid to join - alas, he declined) and Cream, but for various reasons did not catch on the way those bands did. In 1973, Reid recorded this for Atlantic, an album that did not lend itself to easy categories - eschewing past blues-rock rave-ups, River is a set of songs that come from an area where blues, rock, folk, soul/R&B, jazz and Brazilian music overlap, yet it’s not "fusion." The songs feel improvised, almost seem to be works-in-progress, as if Reid were sitting by a river, working out the songs. His voice has a rough-hewn, country blues-man quality to it, though bears the primary influences of Steve Winwood, Gilberto Gil, Tim Buckley, Otis Redding and Rod Stewart (back when Rod was still good - think Gasoline Alley). The music also features sharp, tasteful guitar licks from Reid and David Lindley. River makes for real-nice listening for sleepless nights and/or lazy Sunday mornings.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Terry Reid
CD Title: River
Genre: Blues
Year Released: 2003
Reissue Original Release: 1973
Record Label: Water
Musicians: Terry Reid: vocals, guitar; David Lindley: various guitars; Lee Miles: bass; Conrad Isadore: drums; Willie Bobo: percussion.
Label Website: http://www.buyrunt.com
Rating: Three Stars