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Self release [Release date: 24.11.23]
Bernie Marsden’s ‘Working Man’ is a song driven blue collar rock and roots album.
There are plenty of guitar flourishes, counterweighted by a Nashville friendly Americana songwriting sensibility which makes it a worthy, but unexpected swan song.
He apparently started writing the album during lock down which is probably explains its reflective nature, though he still revels in what he does best, writing strong narratives with good hooks brought to life by his sparkling guitar playing.
The 12 tracks provide the perfect update of where Bernie was at, while the 10 bonus tracks include several gently rearranged Whitesnake favourites.
It’s 9 years since his last and best solo album ‘Shine,’ during which time he’s cut a trio of well received blues albums for Conquest.
There’s the same sort of feel and quality here, but with a much broader musical sweep.
He opens in muscular style on the ironically titled ‘Being Famous’. The densely layered sound, vibrant bv’s and a Transatlantic vocals could have come from any of Bonamassa’s recent albums, which says more about JB than Bernie, who patented this stuff decades ago.
It’s said that Nashville is the last refuge for song writing guitar players, and Bernie certainly makes a decent pitch for the roots market on the mid-tempo ‘Midtown’, as we find him moving: “into the heartland searching for dream, dust on a highway, riding with the wind, nothing last for forever, time takes care my friend.”
Then there’s the contemplative ‘Longtime’, filled with jangling guitars, rich David Crosby style harmonies and a narrative which apparently shifts its focus to London, on a classic opening line: “Just saw a friend of mine, on a broken down train on the Northern line.”
He also seems to get autobiographical on the ‘Son I’ve Never Known’:
“40 years I picked up a microphone, lost count of whiskey and beer, four devils and more, I got the same guitar, but now the colours changed, put my 20 dollars down for a life on the stage.”
There’s an array of several timeless signifiers including a “honky-tonk highway’, “a long lonesome road”, “Cadillac’s & pure rock & roll”, “too many beers in the backroom and Elvis Presley on the record machine” etc, which add to the wistful feel.
And whilst the above song hints at Nashville as a musical destination, he veers directly into country on ‘Savannah’, a small town song with big backing vocals.
But there’s plenty of variety here, from the sultry groove of the title track (which all but serves as the core concept of the album), to the very commercial ‘Invisible’ which is an object lesson in songcraft.
It’s co-written by Jaime Kyle who handles the lead vocals on a riff-driven piece with a very catchy hook which is surely destined for the self affirmatory Taylor Swift market.
“Look at me now this little girl’s unshakeable, open your eyes I’m no longer invisible.”
He slips into mid-tempo rock on ‘Valentine’s Day’ and nearly matches ‘Invisible’ with ‘You Know’, an acoustic into electric love song with a lovely tremulous guitar and heartfelt lyrics: “and now we’re grown older, I want this to go on and on.”
He reverts to being an old school rocker on ‘Bad Reputation’, a stripped down gnarled funky arrangement on which the vocal and guitar is pushed up in the mix and offset by a big ‘call & response’ on the hook.
And just to balance things out there are two instrumentals. The short ‘Steelhouse Mountain’ opens with a synth line and acoustic harmonics, as part of a lush sound bathed in a slight echo. The guitar playing reminds me of early career Roy Harper track.
The album finished on the melodically strong ‘The Pearl’ which radiates optimism and light. Bernie conveys real feel as he locks in with some snappy percussion and a languid organ line to evoke the glow of the title.
The 10 bonus tracks will delight long-time Marsden fans, especially the reworked signature guitar and keyboard riff of ‘Whose Fooling Who’, complete with booming bv’s.
There’s also an acoustic into electric ballad version of ‘Here I Go Again’ and a surprisingly cool cover of ‘Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City’.
Best of all, is the very poignant ‘Til The Day I Die’, with its ethereal intro and Tom Leary’s Celtic sounding violin-led swirl which perfectly complements the poetic lyrics.
And almost as if to reaffirm the strong song writing focus, Bernie surprises us with the cool funk groove of ‘Midnight Believer’, which could be a mid-career Dave Mason song.
For good measure he adds two beautifully conceived love songs, of which the acoustic ‘Just Don’t Have The Time’ finds him at his emotive best:
“’Cos I know exactly who I am, and I know that you do not give a damn”, but I just don’t have the time to help you change your mind.”
And then there’s the uplifting ‘Time is Right for Love’; full of double violin and guitar lines and real percussive snap.
In sum, these 22 vibrant tracks are a potent reminder of the craft of Bernie Marsden, a great heritage rocker who in the evidence of this album always looked to push on. It makes you wish he’d spent more time on his own material. ****
Review by Pete Feenstra
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