Bruce Soord Trio – Nells, London

 

Bruce Soord Trio – Nells, London

by Pete Clemons

I appreciate that Bruce Soord plays electric guitar and rocks out a bit but, ever since I saw him do an acoustic set in Yeovil September 2009, I had always hoped to see him do a similar thing again. Delighted to say it recently happened. Although not purely acoustic, it was just as wonderful as I hoped it would be.

Even from his early days, I always felt that singer and songwriter, Bruce Soord, was always destined for a degree of success. Even in this, the difficult business of the music making industry. For me Bruce Soord is an outstanding lyric writer. His words tend to touch your very core as they appear to come from a position of things that concern him most.

Bruce's songs are far from random and appear to come from specific circumstances. They seem to come, predominantly, from matters of the heart. That makes them very relatable but, at the same time, without losing sight of their meaning. They also have the ability to floor you 'there is nowhere we will go, without you, you know'. And that can make them quite emotionally charged.

When those lyrics are applied to either electric or acoustic guitar, they take on a whole new life. And Bruce doesn't just strum his guitars in familiar patterns either. He heavily uses a technique called open tuning which, on the face of it sounds a bit lazy.

Far from it, open tuning on a guitar can transform and vastly expand the possibilities of the instrument. While standard tuning remains flexible enough for most guitarists open tuning allows you to explore new chord shapes. It has been said that it can metamorphose the instrument into a whole new piece of kit.

Add looper pedals to the mix and that gives Bruce the opportunity to indulge by way of adding guitar solo's. He can go where he fancies really. Here he adds improvisation and depth to the songs in an alluring way.

The songs are then taken to the next level when accompanying musicians add their parts. But always, at the heart of them all, is love, compassion and harmony. They are a reminder that, actually, this is all you really need.

Bruce recently completed his first solo tour. When I say solo it was actually a trio made up of Jon Sykes, Bruce's very long time musical friend, and confidante, on bass and drummer Tash Buxton-Lewis. The tour was in support of his latest album Luminescence.

I caught a show at Nell's, a modest sized Jazz and Blues club in West Kensington, London. With so much improvisation, the use of open tuning and loopers, arguably, made this a unique show. So it all felt absolutely fitting in such a venue.

The club was blessed with new songs such as Dear Life, Day of All Days, Lie Flat and Nestle In. They merged snugly with the more seasoned Buried Here, Field Day and Cut the Flowers.

In Luminescence, Bruce Soord has yet again produced something very special. The power in this release is completely palpable. If the high emotions generated by this record could be converted to energy then the current power crisis would be over.

But it isn't just about the lyrics. Its the accompanying peripheral sounds that are so completely in sync. Bruce has a rare ability to get deep into the soul. Albums like this should come with a warning label.

Yes, there will always be The Pineapple Thief, Bruce's main outlet, but I really hope time allows for more of this.