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(Instrumental)
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Number of Destiny Road (1999) Reviews: 2
Fine playing elevates bland lyrics
Reviewer: Richard J. Orlando, July 04, 2003 One of the highlights of this collection is a beautiful instrumental titled "Hiding In Shadows", and it could be thought of as an apt description of this project.
The legendary brilliance of Green's early years
still shines bright across the ensuing decades but Green seems to find the light exposing rather than
illuminating - he holds back - and the band seems unwilling to push back into the spotlight.
There is plenty of fine guitar work here, but most of it is provided by Nigel Watson, with Peter Green adding texture and counterpoint.
Watson is a strong player with a prononuced Mark Knopfler influence - most apparent in "I Can't Help Myself" a haunting "soul's midnight" ballad.
Producer Pete Brown (Cream, Jack Bruce) provides a bright, clean soundscape - each instrument being given plenty of space to be heard - listen to the break in "Turn Your Love Away" : Roger Cotton's Hammond organ washes swirl and blend with the guitars and harmonica creating an rolling ebb and flow.
Another instrumental, a re-recording of Green's "Tribal Dance" brings this style to full fruition as the band locks into a smooth groove, with Larry Tolfree's congas and percussion bubbling beneath light splashes of guitar, conjuring images of a lazy tropical river.
The strengths and weaknesses of this album are encapsulated in one it's highlights: a startlingly
fresh arrangement of Elmore James' "Madison Blues". Those familiar with the original, or Jeremy Spencer's covers from Green's Fleetwood Mac days, would well expect the band to finally break out here - but even with the addition of a horn section, they maintain a low boil. The song never really rocks - it swings, but it doesn't rock.
The low-key style is well suited to Green's now leathery whisper of a voice. This song, and a cover of Freddie King's "You'll Be Sorry Some Day" are his two best vocals here.
A pleasant surprise from Green is the strength of his harp playing. Scant attention was payed to
this side of his skills in his early years, and even here, the songs are not built around the harp; it's used like much of his guitar playing, to add textures and highlights to the mix and Green's playing shows real subtly and control.
In the end, the strong playing and production lifts even the weaker material, "Big Change Is
Gonna Come", "Heart of Stone", "Say That You Will" to above average, with only "Burglar", "Indians" and a misguided attempt at Steve Winwood's "There's a River" with Watson on lead vocals being unsalvageable.
Hiding at the end of the Winwood cover, unlisted among the song titles, is an instrumental
rendition of Green's classic "Man of the World". The song's beauty and power are apparent even without it's lyrics and it serves as a fitting coda to a late night collection best experienced with only the faint glow of the stereo offering illumination.
OUTSTANDING Smooth Blues! A GREAT album!!!
Reviewer: Shirley (girlhowdy233@yahoo.com), November 19, 2000 This is my FAVORITE of all Peter's albums (so far)with The Splinter Group, as it contains such a WIDE spectrum of emotions! It has songs that effectively convey just about every conceivable side of romance one can imagine(from it's joyous,playful beginnings to the literal depths of despair). ALL are done with GENUINE feeling; nothing maudlin or frivolous HERE! ENJOY!
Tracklisting and album cover provided by Pete Grant. Transcribed to HTML by Marty Adelson.
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