In his mid-fifties at the time of this album's release in 2006,
Walter Trout seemed to be in a reflective mood. His 2005 album was a collection of older, previously unreleased tracks from various stages in his extensive career. This follow-up finds him reconnecting with many artists he has worked with, laying down newly recorded originals. In fact, this is
Trout's first studio recorded disc of fresh material since 2001's
Go the Distance. As the
Full Circle title implies, the guitarist rounds up some musicians/friends he has played with for a spontaneous set of performances. The liner notes explain that some of these tracks were unrehearsed first takes, and the heightened energy level throughout reflects that. Also impressive is that
Trout was eye-to-eye with each artist, as opposed to projects where guests lay down solos at various times in different cities and never see each other. The disc kicks off in fine, heated form with
John Mayall sharing vocals and guitar and adding harmonica to a fiery eight-minute slow
blues workout
"She Takes More Than She Gives." Trout restrains -- slightly -- his propensity to pummel more notes per minute than the next guy, infusing greater passion into his playing as evidenced by the swampy
blues-rock of
"Workin' Overtime," featuring
Jeff Healey. Fellow fret shredders of his genre such as
Bernard Allison,
Coco Montoya, and especially
Joe Bonamassa add predictable firepower with their contributions and seem to spur
Trout to new heights. In this heavy company, it's refreshing to hear him shift into a jazzier mood with
Junior Watson on
"Slap Happy" and even go acoustic on
"Firehouse Mama," where he trades hyperactive riffs with neighbor
Eric Sardinas. Harp master/vocalist
James Harman (who, with his burly face and long white beard looks more like Moses everyday) and organist
Deacon Jones bring comparative subtlety to the proceedings and alter the groove to a less frenzied attack than when
Trout is trading licks with his guitar buddies.
Guitar Shorty,
Little Feat drummer
Richard Hayward, and noted DJ
Larry Keene -- whose articulated fast talking can be compared to
Trout's own style on guitar -- also appear, the latter for a
spoken word title cut finale that could have been left on the cutting room floor. Deep
blues fans will still probably shy away due to the album's guitar heavy appeal and
Trout's tendency to overextend his furious solos. But for the
blues-rocker who loves a rugged blast of electricity and barrages of notes played with no-frills intensity, this is arguably
Trout's most listenable, impressive, and diverse album yet. ~ Hal Horowitz
