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For decades, Stephen Bruton has written some amazing songs
and produced some classic records while holding down his career as
Bonnie Raitt's guitar slinger. He's best known for working
his particular magic, making the music of others sound as good as
he manages… but there is far more to Bruton, and on From The
Five, his fifth solo outing, the man makes this point exceedingly
clear.
From the opening acoustic moments of the first track, a blues heavy
rocking track called "Bigger Wheel", Bruton seems to light
up the stereo speakers with his unique voice. "Bigger Wheel"
would fit nicely into anyone's collection, being made up of a jumpy
drumbeat, great dueling guitar lines, and a memorable and highly
melodic chorus. "This Old World" keeps the energy up,
and adds in a message to the mix, reminding us that "This old
world needs love". Bruton slows things down for tracks like
the beautifully melancholy story of "Fading Man" and the
sonic glory of the brilliant slow-beat "Every Once In A While".
Nowhere does the social and political conscience of the modern songwriter
come to the front than on a song like "The Clock", where
Bruton espouses his views so poetically and true:"Now the forest
is ablazing/ casts a shroud around the sun/ homeless children just
begging for a crumb/ no one's losing sleep/ they're having too much
fun/ oblivious to oblivion."
While it is quite obvious that Stephen Bruton is a phenomenal guitar
player, where From The Five really makes a shine is in the
songwriting. Each of these songs showcases a little different piece
of his talent, and each and every one of them contains its own bit
of brilliance. "The devil's in the details/ with his slight of
hand so quick/ he makes time seem like a trick…"
-Embo Blake
Track Listing:
1. Bigger Wheel
2. This Old World
3. Walk By Faith
4. Fading Man
5. Every Once In A While
6. The Clock
7. Treasured Wounds
8. Put Me Out Of Your Misery
9. The Halo Effect
10. That Moment When
11. Ordinary Man
12. In The Wind
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Stephen
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