Danny Bryant: Rise Review
When Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, and Eric Gales give you props, one tends to take notice. A “British Blues Legend” in the words of Planet Rock Radio, Danny Bryant has been making records for over twenty years with his latest work Rise being his lucky thirteenth release. Growing up in a musical family, Danny started playing guitar at 14. Four years later he was playing professionally and with his father Ken on bass formed Danny Bryant’s RedEyeBand. 2013 would usher in a series of noteworthy events, Ken’s retirement, his first release with Jazzhaus Records, and the dropping of RedEyeBand from the group’s name. They have since just been known as ‘Danny Bryant’ and he has been with Jazzhaus Records through this latest release.
Over the years, Danny has toured the world with the likes of Buddy Guy, Carlos Santana, and Joe Cocker. He fronted Walter Trout’s band when Walter was recovering from his liver transplant. Danny’s last five studio albums have all reached the number-one spot in the Blues charts across Europe. With all of that, Rise is being hailed as his best yet. Co-produced by Ian Dowling (Adele), Bryant with Dave Raeburn on drums, Paul Mallatratt on bass, Jamie Pipe on keys, and Marc Raner providing backup guitar work, Rise‘s ten tracks provide a perspective on Bryant’s range as a blues artist.
On the heavier blues rock side, the anthemic title track “Rise,” “Hard Way To Go” with its Hendrix-esque Stratocaster jam in the background, the aptly named instrumental “Drown (Jam),” along with the more stripped down “Silver and Gold” provide a canvas for Bryant’s guitar mastery. Danny’s soulful vocals go on full display with the slower ballad leaning “Louise,” “Julienne,” and the Bob Dylan cover “I Want You.”
Of the slower tracks, “Scarlett Street” stands out as an interesting tale of what could interpreted as a warning label for a red-light district with “down on Scarlett Street it’s nighttime every day, down on Scarlett Street they take your soul away, you know they’re gonna make you pay.” Speaking of warning labels, “Animal in Me” provides a more direct message on one who has had enough, “you opened up the door to the animal in me.” “Into the Slipstream” is another standout with its message of letting go “slowly you bleed into the slipstream.”
If you haven’t heard of Danny Bryant, Rise will make you question the sanity of a world in which you haven’t. It is an unpretentious blues rock album that runs one through a range of moods and leaves you happy to hear a genuinely great album by an equally talented artist.
The Review: 8.5/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Rise
– Louise
– Scarlett Street
– Into The Slipstream
– Drown (Jam)
The Big Hit
– Rise
Buy the album: Amazon