2015 –Grooveyard Records
By Phillip Smith; Aug. 28, 2015
Sky Train Galaxy, the latest offering from the intergalactic guitar virtuoso Craig Erickson, is a tasty psychedelic brew
of rock and blues.
Erickson
hits the ground running with “The Comeback”, a driving blues-infused
southern-style rocker about pushing setbacks aside and moving forward in life. With John
Hall’s monstrous bassline and Tim
King’s thunderous drumming holding down the fort, Erickson breaks out a full-on assault on guitar, laying down exquisite
riffs and killer licks. This is how you
open an album.
I like the vocal harmony
between Erickson and Alicia Strong on “Mercy”, a funky rocking
track with a big sound and a catchy melody.
This is one I often want to turn the volume up on, because it’s so full
of energy. Then there is “Morning Glory”,
a wonderfully beautiful instrumental. I can’t help but think of the ascended
blues guitar master Stevie Ray Vaughan
when this one plays.
There’s only one cover song
on the album, and it’s Deep Purple’s
“Getting’ Tighter/Ode to T”. Erickson does not disappoint at
all. This one is fantastic and brings me
pure joy to hear. I could listen to this
track all day. Troy Harper does a phenomenal job handling the drums on this one.
A catchy hook and southern-style
slide set the mood for standout track, “Mojo in Memphis”. Erickson
sings about one of my favorite places on the planet, and makes me homesick in
the process. The dual guitar sounds so
good and draws my full attention. For
the last track, Erickson throws in
an acoustic version of this song. Swampy
and soulfully gooey as molasses, this makes me think immediately of the late,
great bluesman R.L. Burnside. It’s quite wonderful.
What I like about Erickson, is how he constantly seems to
stretch the boundaries of where his music goes. I like the unpredictability in his songs. Sky Train Galaxy is yet another testament
to that fascinating quality. This album
comes highly recommended.
For more info on Craig Erickson, visit his website :
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