Keith Douglas comes a long way from Memphis to the world with his first solo album in tow, and it's a remarkably cool release from top to bottom, with the blues rock guitarist shining throughout every moment. It's been a long time since I first saw Tora Tora at shows out west back on their first couple of tours, but they've been back since they released (Bastards Of Beale) some years ago, with tour ventures out on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise, and other appearance mostly in the south. The album is ambient guitar rock fest, full of groovy hard rock instrumentals, with a guest vocal appearance on one track, by Sophie West. It comes as a limited edition with no plans for a second round of pressing, so it's worth grabbing before it's gone, rendering it a true collector's item for the fans.
The album kicks off with Wonderful Disaster, and It's a laid-back sort of rocker with a lot of melodic ambiences, which can essentially be heard all over these tracks at the end of the day. The ascending nature of the guitar parts feels like it's going to break through the clouds at all times. And it just gets better as it goes on Red Hot & Blue, with a harking back to some of the trademark sound this killer guitar player has been well known for, I can even taste some specific sounds of the past on this one with the screaming guitar parts. This is a wicked little number that will take you back to that guitar sound you're used to from Tora Tora. But it's not about nostalgia, as the next track comes with some modern screaming itself, as Timebomb completely blows up before leaving you on the shoreline. By this time, you know the rest of is going to be good and Keith Douglas means business.
By the time you get to Midnight In Memphis, the reminiscence of Tora Tora gets enough stronger on the out and out romper of mellow mass "euphoria," as it comes and goes in Riverside Drive and Lights Of The River combo fashions. This is definitely something I could see them playing, and if you want to hear them rip on an instrumental, just check the aforementioned (Bastards Of Beale) for an example. This Keith Douglas song simply smolders like a hot summer night's drive along the Mississippi with the bright lights of Memphis shining along the way, as it fades away from the first note, to be most descriptive about it. And then it's followed by the even slower groove of Violent Sky Sunday, which creeps the pace down at the most righteous point.
Things get harder as they go, without losing the groove one bit on Poured Out But Unbroken, with more searing and incendiary licks, which are written all over the piece of master guitar playing. And this number also seems to fade away forever as it goes jamming by. I can't say enough about this blues-rock maestro, and it's a gift to finally hear him rocking out on his own, Keith Douglas style. And as it boils down toward the end of this marvelous album, Life On Earth comes thundering down upon the senses with another set of slow burning hot licks and percussive tricks in yet another fadeaway style song.
After a phenomenal listening experience - the final track: Coming My Way, comes down with vocals by Sophie West, which absolutely haunts your soul, with an almost gospel blues delivery of mass proportion, over a slinky backing guitar track that puts the finishing touches on (Remnants Of Euphoria) by Memphis raised, Keith Douglas. You don't want to miss this amazing album that physical copies promise not to last, and you can find it by clicking on the banner at the top of this review, if you want to support it. Either way, give it a listen, as it comes highly recommended, and I hope he makes more to come.
Five stars
Review by: Larry Toering
About the author: Larry has been writing since 1993, published in over 30 print books and 25 online magazines. https://linktr.ee/music_street_journal_books
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