Australia Sunday Herald Sun Review, 3.5 Stars

Sunday Herald Sun (Australia)

September 10, 2006 Section: IE1 - FIRST

GARRY WILLIAMS

Precious Little Jeremy Spencer Blind Pig/Only Blues Music)
***1/2

In short: Mac favourite is still sliding, but not slipping

JEREMY Spencer says the album's title refers to people who feel ostracised due to their convictions, but it is also a fair description of his recording output since quitting Fleetwood Mac almost 35 years ago.

The eccentric slide guitarist joined a religious cult and vanished from the music scene. Spencer's return is even more unexpected than the re-emergence of the band's other famous drop-out, Peter Green.

While Green's recent output reveals a performer who is a mere shadow of the blues guitar genius he once was, Spencer is singing and playing better than ever.

The album bristles with an energy and vitality you would not expect from the grumpy old bloke peering from the CD cover. Spencer's obsession with Elmore James hasn't diminished and the two covers here surpass his earlier work. And there are plenty more treats, ranging from wild rockabilly to gentle ballads.