Simon McBride - Recordings 2020–2025
There is absolutely no question that joining Deep Purple in 2022 and showing off his six-string chops on last year’s =1 studio album, along with DP live performances, has elevated Simon McBride’s already renowned profile as a player par excellence even further.
That said, McBride, who also played with Sweet Savage and Snakecharmer, has a quartet of previous studio albums that are all worthy of attention, especially 2022’s The Fighter.
Latest offering, Recordings 2020-2025, is, as the name suggests, a catch-up and presentation of more recent recordings from Simon McBride, including a couple of previous EP tracks, a quartet of alternative session versions and brand new recordings, many of which are interesting and inspired cover choices.
Indeed the album kicks off with a collection of select covers, starting with a blues rock 'n' raunchy reimagining of Mr. Mister’s 'Uniform of Youth,' McBride’s edgy vocal sitting as the perfect vehicle to carry the song, backed by gritty power chords and a solid, staccato rhythm.
Bryan Adams’ 'Kids Wanna Rock' then gets a full throttle outing (complete with a short 'n' tasty solo from McBride), before 'Ordinary World' takes centre stage.
Simon McBride pays due respect to the emotive textures of the Duran Duran original (well, if it ain’t broke…) but here we have a more guitar orientated take with that McBride six-string 'feel,' a lovely rendering of the song’s melody line and a solo that fades far too soon. An album highlight.
Bill Withers' oft-covered 'Grandma’s Hands' is furnished with a weightier, bluesified arrangement (the female backing a la Joe Bonamassa is a nice, added layer touch) while the Indie vibe of 'I Gotta Move' gives The Kinks song a whole new lease of blues rock life.
The Cure’s 'Lovesong' is another given a complete makeover, to the degree that, other than the lyric, it’s almost unrecognisable from the original.
Reimagined and arranged as a contemporary, heavy slow blues with a huge chorus, Simon McBride showcases some seriously impressive guitar licks on 'Lovesong,' as well as a melodically charged solo. Another highlight.
'Dead in the Water' has a cinematic rock appeal that could have been a Bond Theme before it kicks into a more contemporary sounding/ Indie styled bridge, while 'Gimme Something Good' stays fairly faithful to the alt/ Indie Americana of the Ryan Adams original, albeit with a slightly moodier & sparser arrangement (which works well).
There then follows a trio of alternative versions culled from the Chameleon Sessions – the Zeppelin meets nu-blues rock of 'Don’t Dare,' the muscly mid-tempo swagger of 'Heartbreaker' (not the Free song) and 'The Stealer,' which is the Free song, played at a faster tempo.
As regards the latter, while Simon McBride is no Paul Rodgers (who is?) he makes a good fist of a similarly weighted vocal delivery, and adds tasteful mid-song and outro solos that smartly don’t try and emulate Paul Kossoff, but play to McBride’s own tonal and phrasing strengths.
The heavy sway of six-and-a-half minute mid-tempo 'Hell Waters Rising,' which includes a sparse, downtempo breakdown, is another strong offering; the pace is then picked up by the bass bubbling and bristling southern blues rock of 'Dead Man Walking,' which, like 'Hell Waters Rising,' sports a mid-song breakdown (and a wicked, fret-burning solo).
The groove and tempo-shifts that form the basis of following number 'Fat Pockets' (think Free in funky rock-blues mode) are implemented so well that the song doesn’t outstay its seven-minutes.
Similarly, album closer 'So Much Love To Give' (another Chameleon Sessions track) carries its nine-minutes with mid-tempo, early Bonamassa (in power trio mode) aplomb.
The number also showcases a band fully in the groove, and totally focused on the psychedelic/ free-form breakdown (all the originals were recorded by Simon McBride and his three-piece band in single takes, thus capturing the musical spontaneity of a live performance).
A mix of creatively arranged covers and strong originals, Recordings 2020–2025 emphatically underlines that there is a lot more to enjoy from Simon McBride than his new-found Purple reign in classic rock.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That said, McBride, who also played with Sweet Savage and Snakecharmer, has a quartet of previous studio albums that are all worthy of attention, especially 2022’s The Fighter.
Latest offering, Recordings 2020-2025, is, as the name suggests, a catch-up and presentation of more recent recordings from Simon McBride, including a couple of previous EP tracks, a quartet of alternative session versions and brand new recordings, many of which are interesting and inspired cover choices.
Indeed the album kicks off with a collection of select covers, starting with a blues rock 'n' raunchy reimagining of Mr. Mister’s 'Uniform of Youth,' McBride’s edgy vocal sitting as the perfect vehicle to carry the song, backed by gritty power chords and a solid, staccato rhythm.
Bryan Adams’ 'Kids Wanna Rock' then gets a full throttle outing (complete with a short 'n' tasty solo from McBride), before 'Ordinary World' takes centre stage.
Simon McBride pays due respect to the emotive textures of the Duran Duran original (well, if it ain’t broke…) but here we have a more guitar orientated take with that McBride six-string 'feel,' a lovely rendering of the song’s melody line and a solo that fades far too soon. An album highlight.
Bill Withers' oft-covered 'Grandma’s Hands' is furnished with a weightier, bluesified arrangement (the female backing a la Joe Bonamassa is a nice, added layer touch) while the Indie vibe of 'I Gotta Move' gives The Kinks song a whole new lease of blues rock life.
The Cure’s 'Lovesong' is another given a complete makeover, to the degree that, other than the lyric, it’s almost unrecognisable from the original.
Reimagined and arranged as a contemporary, heavy slow blues with a huge chorus, Simon McBride showcases some seriously impressive guitar licks on 'Lovesong,' as well as a melodically charged solo. Another highlight.
'Dead in the Water' has a cinematic rock appeal that could have been a Bond Theme before it kicks into a more contemporary sounding/ Indie styled bridge, while 'Gimme Something Good' stays fairly faithful to the alt/ Indie Americana of the Ryan Adams original, albeit with a slightly moodier & sparser arrangement (which works well).
There then follows a trio of alternative versions culled from the Chameleon Sessions – the Zeppelin meets nu-blues rock of 'Don’t Dare,' the muscly mid-tempo swagger of 'Heartbreaker' (not the Free song) and 'The Stealer,' which is the Free song, played at a faster tempo.
As regards the latter, while Simon McBride is no Paul Rodgers (who is?) he makes a good fist of a similarly weighted vocal delivery, and adds tasteful mid-song and outro solos that smartly don’t try and emulate Paul Kossoff, but play to McBride’s own tonal and phrasing strengths.
The heavy sway of six-and-a-half minute mid-tempo 'Hell Waters Rising,' which includes a sparse, downtempo breakdown, is another strong offering; the pace is then picked up by the bass bubbling and bristling southern blues rock of 'Dead Man Walking,' which, like 'Hell Waters Rising,' sports a mid-song breakdown (and a wicked, fret-burning solo).
The groove and tempo-shifts that form the basis of following number 'Fat Pockets' (think Free in funky rock-blues mode) are implemented so well that the song doesn’t outstay its seven-minutes.
Similarly, album closer 'So Much Love To Give' (another Chameleon Sessions track) carries its nine-minutes with mid-tempo, early Bonamassa (in power trio mode) aplomb.
The number also showcases a band fully in the groove, and totally focused on the psychedelic/ free-form breakdown (all the originals were recorded by Simon McBride and his three-piece band in single takes, thus capturing the musical spontaneity of a live performance).
A mix of creatively arranged covers and strong originals, Recordings 2020–2025 emphatically underlines that there is a lot more to enjoy from Simon McBride than his new-found Purple reign in classic rock.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ