Wishbone Ash - Coat of Arms (2020)

 

Six years after the band’s last studio release, 2014’s Blue Horizon, Wishbone Ash’s 2020 album Coat of Arms boasts the band’s first lineup change since 2007’s Power of Eternity. Longtime guitarist Muddy Manninen left for a solo career. Wishbone Ash’s Andy Powell, despite the interval, is no stranger to change. The band drafted Mark Abrahams as Manninen’s replacement and early returns, based on the band’s live gigs pre-COVID and this new release, reveal the band has scarcely lost a step.

Other changes are evident in the songwriting. Lyricist Ian Harris, a significant contributor to an assortment of Wishbone Ash albums, is absent for the first time in years. Despite the loss, Wishbone Ash remains an articulate and intelligent band who tackle their work with the same inspired engagement defining their “classic” material. There’s no question the band isn’t afraid of embracing recognized songwriting styles, but they do so with an individual voice honed by experience, talent, and personal conviction.

“We Stand as One” has a mixed effect as an album opener. Many listeners will wish the band came out of their corner setting a faster pace but quibbling with the song’s unifying sentiments is impossible and the song makes it case in language all their own. The song’s succinct central guitar melody carries the day and Powell glides through its vocal melody with relaxed confidence. It takes an unexpected musical turn during the song’s second half and the band stretches out with rewarding results.

The mix of the band’s classic twin guitar attack, traditional flavor, and progressive sensibilities are obvious during the album’s title track. Its lyrics adopt a grim view of the modern world many listeners will peg as reflective of these times when we wonder if the center will hold and Powell’s voice, still strong and expressive after many years, fills the lines with a vital spark. “Empty Man” is one of the album’s brightest lights. The steady engine room playing of bassist Bob Skeat and drummer Joe Crabtree gives the cut a fluid and flexible foundation, but the lead work during the track’s final half steals the show. The lyrics are pointed and spare its subject nothing.

“Floreana” is a beautiful gem in the tradition of Wishbone Ash ballads such as “Persephone” but never any sort of imitation. It has a sturdy narrative thread running through its lyrics and Powell’s singing draws out the possibilities present in every line. Once again, however, the chief strength this song builds on is the exceptional guitar playing laced throughout the track. Powell and Abrahams are a formidable pairing throughout the entire release and this is one of their high points. The fifth track “Drive” runs on a mid-tempo rock groove but there’s some stinging lead guitar coloring the mix and giving the song added bite.

“It’s Only You I See” is another high point on Coat of Arms. It is impossible, whatever you think of the comparison between the band’s present and past, to deny Powell and company reach a musical peak with this performance. It is more than an on-point composition and performance, however, as Powell serves up one of his best vocals yet. Powell and Abrahams’ guitar playing during this track is yet another highlight. “Too Cool for AC” has one of the raunchiest Wishbone Ash guitar riffs in recent memory and the band attacks the nasty edge with audible relish.

“Back in the Day” has commercial potential, for sure, and the band rocks out with convincing abandon. It’s a shrewd move underlining the muscular electric guitar with supporting acoustic rhythm playing, it fattens the overall sound, and the straight-ahead energy of the riffing doesn’t stick around long enough to wear out its welcome. Powell and his cohorts continue exploring a meditative vein with the track “Déjà-Vu” and embrace a more ethereal mood than any other song included on Coat of Arms. The light production effects applied to the presentation deepen its atmospheric allure rather than cheapening it. It’s the shortest track on the album, but few listeners will feel cheated.

Coat of Arms’ penultimate cut “When the Love is Shared” grabs your attention thanks to the steady climb it takes from the beginning. The four-piece builds dramatic peaks in the song’s second half many will mention among the album’s best moments and Powell nails a rousing vocal. There is a smattering of well-placed harmonies throughout the collection and their presence in this track is tasteful and effective.

“Personal Halloween” ends Coat of Arms in perhaps improbable fashion for some but Wishbone Ash has always packed the occasional surprise. The blues influences stamped deep into this track are a comfortable overall fit for the band and the inclusion of brass is a crucial curveball this late on the release. Let’s hope we don’t wait so long for the next album. Wishbone Ash’s latest studio release
continues a string of artistic successes stretching back into the late 20^th century and their creative energies show no sign of flagging. It’s more than a rock album, to be sure, but rates among 2020’s best rock releases.  

Muddy Manninen - River Flows (2020)

Muddy Mannien

Bold experimentation isn’t necessary for music. It has its place, naturally, but the timeless value of communicating yourself through melody, vocals, words, and rhythm can never be displaced as music’s principal vehicle for reaching the masses. High-flown efforts in a musical vein often succeed at the expense of making a deeper connection with listeners. There’s no danger of that with Muddy Manninen’s new solo album River Flows. The former Wishbone Ash guitarist capitalizes on the promise listeners heard with his debut solo release Long Player with a ten-song collection affirming the strengths of the latter and building on its achievements.

There are several guests appearing throughout the release. Manninen’s five-star instrumental skills do not readily translate into the sort of vocal presentation he wants for these tracks so Manninen chooses a familiar route for many talented guitarists and works with an assortment of singers. The opener “Make Believe” benefits from compelling synergy between Melanie Denard’s lead vocal and the musical arrangement. Her voice is equal parts grit and soul and she delivers Manninen’s lyrics as if she penned them herself. Free and Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke contributes a muscular and canny performance behind the kit.

Manninen lets it rips with swampy lap steel on “Hey You” and its bluesy stomp never wavers. Tom Gilkes plays drums on this cut instead of Kirke, but the quality never dips and he puts down a deep groove the musicians ride from beginning to end. Kev Moore’s singing is closer to a growl but make no mistake his pipes are strong. Manninen and Gregory Wilson-Cobb supply effective backing vocals giving the chorus more oomph. Longtime Wishbone Ash lyricist Ian Harris makes the first of his four contributions to the release and his writing is every bit as punchy as the track’s beat.

Moore returns on the album’s third cut. “Daytona Beach” and shares songwriting credits with Manninen. He changes his vocal approach some and gives listeners a much more straight-forward performance than the preceding number, but the musical highlight of the track is Manninen’s near-threatening wah-wah licks laced through the arrangement. Including the violin is an unexpected move but serves the song well.

Muddy and Chris Melhuish share vocals on the fifth track “Take These Blues Away from Me”. Harris’ lyrics ransack familiar imagery but phrases them in such a way they possess a much more individual ring than you might expect. It’s one of the album’s longer songs and affords Manninen an opportunity to craft extended and thoughtful solos shorter tracks cannot contain. Bassist Gregg Sutton has played for an array of five-star talents ranging from Bob Dylan through blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, among others. His vocal and songwriting contribution to River Flows, “Last One to Know”, reaches the same high standard as its predecessor. Sutton’s idiosyncratic vocal helps set the track apart and Gregory Wilson-Cob’s background vocals help make another hot chorus burn even brighter.

One of the album’s two instrumentals, “The Wedge” never overstays its welcome. It is, as well, nimble and holds your attention with minimal effort. Much of this is, of course, thanks to Manninen’s playful and ever-inventive guitar lines pair up with Tomi Malm’s synthesizers and keyboard work with significant results; it expands the song’s color and scope. The heart of the album for many, however, will come with the closing duo of “The River” and “River Flows”. The first of these two tracks are an outright folk song. Melanie Denard returns to deliver a stunning vocal; she transforms Ian Harris’ lyrics into performed poetry. Manninen returns to the lap steel as well and, though its presence isn’t as pronounced as what we heard during the earlier “Hey You”, it brings a welcome added dimension to the performance.

He closes the release with its title song. This meditative five-minute plus long instrumental has an introspective spirit and a stately pace. Manninen never rushes its development and the nuance in his playing is outstanding. It’s an impassioned final curtain for a release never intent on remaking the musical wheel but committed to making you feel.