Roy Bainton/Blues Matters UK - March 09
With a name like Claude Bourbon, your mind strays perhaps to Louisiana, but this packed double CD set was recorded in Southsea. CD1 is a showcase for Claude’s guitar playing skills and, make no mistake, they are considerable. Instrumentally, there’s a variety of guitar styles here, from the opening “Medieval” and the Andalusia flavours of “Echo” yet track so “A light In The Night” immediately puts one in mind of Ry Cooder’s “Paris, Texas”. If this collection just included Bourbon’s guitar playing, it would be well worth having for its mesmeric quality. But on CD2 he accompanies himself singing nine songs, which perfectly match the rolling meditative mood of the first CD. It’s all like a more nimble-fingered version of JJ Cale, so it’s no surprise to discover a Cale song included “Sensitive Kind”. So here we have another fine example of the prodigious talent which is treading the boards in UK clubs.
