Simon McBride
Irishman Simon McBride evokes the spirit of such great bands as Free and Led Zeppelin; that point in musical history when blues guitar blossomed into a sound and an attitude of mind that defined a generation and continues to inspire.
McBride’s talents as a guitarist are undeniable. At 15 he was Guitarist Magazine’s Young Guitarist of The Year, a performance competition won against strong competition. He was immediately recruited by Sweet Savage (Vivian Campbell/Def Leppard) with whom he recorded two albums and regularly played major festivals. That was 13 years ago, since when he has toured the world as guitarist for diverse acts including Grammy nominated soulman Andrew Strong.
All the time there was lurking behind his guitar an outstanding voice and a talent for song writing that has now finally seen the light of day in a CD of 11 original songs and versions of Be My Friend (Free) and Power of Soul (Hendrix).
“An edge that puts him well ahead of the pack.” **** GUITARIST
“Highly, highly recommended!” ***** Stellar ALLOUTGUITAR.COM
“McBride stands out from the blues-rock crowd not only as a hugely accomplished and versatile guitarist but also for his songs, original in both senses, and his grainy vocals.” **** MOJO
Simon is endorsed by Paul Reed Smith Guitars and Hughes & Kettner Amps.
Album Review: alloutguitar.com
Opener ‘Down To The River’ sets out his musical stall with aplomb – groovy riff infused and melodic. With a rich tone filled voice that belies his still comparatively tender years, and a crack band this is a shining example of great playing, great songs and great musicianship.
As a player Simon has very much his own identifiable: a combination of high energy tone rich blues phrasing with more of a rock edge than many of the other players on the Nugene records label. Fans of hard rock players such as Michael Schenker, Viv Campbell and even hints of early to mid period Gary Moore will find much to enjoy here, along with the more usual bluesy suspects such as Walter Trout, Jeff Healey and the Joe Bonamassa.
In the latter tracks such as ‘Tell Me Why’, ‘You Got A Problem’, ‘DC’ and ‘Power Of Soul’ elements of players such as rockier Eric Johnson and even Guthrie Govan enter the equation: and incredibly fluid combination of speedy pentatonic wig outs, sinuous legato, super accurate alternate picking and wide interval licks abound – and all topped off with a glorious rich tone and killer vibrato. His sense of timing warrants special note – slipping behind and ahead of the beat with great elasticity and incorporating some very cool outside lines reminiscent of some of Scott Henderson’s rockier work Simon is a very serious player indeed!
Highlights include the aforementioned tracks as well as a great version of Paul Rogers ‘Be My Friend’ and the melodic ‘So Much To Give’ – but, in truth, the standard is so high throughout this album that to mention any particular tracks isn’t really necessary.
Conclusion
This is a simply storming high energy Blues Rock album! Richard Pavitt’s Nugene maintains its much deserved reputation as purveyors of the highest quality guitar music with this release. Much more of a rock crossover than Nugene’s other releases, I strongly recommend this both to blues guitar aficionados as well as more general hard rock fans. As a textbook example of how to combine rock guitar with a bluesy
sensibility this is required listening for all rock guitar players. Highly, highly recommended!
Simon McBride Vocals/Guitar
Paul Hamilton Drums
Gareth Hughes Bass
Scroll
