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.