REVIEWS

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On Sunday 23rd July Paul Rose played a solo acoustic set at the McAlpine Hotel. He started off with a song called Time for the Show followed by Nobody Cares with a definite jazz feel to it. The 3rd song (Water Blues) was the one where the audience really started to appreciate what they were hearing. He followed this with his own interpretation of Scarborough Fair/Norwegian Wood which was quite simply excellent. It's not often you use the word simply in a Paul Rose review!

The House Of The Rising Sun came next. Paul explained about using the loopback and played the rhythm using it. He also told how his boyhood hero was Hank Marvin (also from the North East). So he played it in his hero's style. Magic!

Eleanor Rigby got the Paul Rose treatment. It started out jazz funk, then mellowed out, then back to jazz. Never heard it that way before but it certainly worked.

I must admit to not hearing the first half of the next song due to the bar calling. As I came back into the hall I was certain I could hear riffs from Freebird. I racked my brains to identify the song being given the treatment. It says a lot for my brain that I had played Stevie Ray Vaughan's version of Little Wing at least 3 times during the preceding week and didn't recognize it! Paul lost a few of the audience during this song as I could see a few not looking at him and just looking around. But most of them were with him all the way.

He finished off with Candid camera (the comedy song) and it was the perfect end to the first set.

The 2nd set started off Weeping Willow Blues played simply and excellently.

Paul followed this with a Roy Buchanan song and then a song of his own called The Heroin Addict Song which is a great blues song.

A song called Suicide was followed by Paul giving Hey Joe a real going over. Great variation here. The change of pace near the end blew me away. A real stunt guitar spectacular if you know what I mean.

He followed this with his own Argyll Bute song. Variations on a simple theme with some delicate touches.

Then a medley of Somewhere Over The Rainbow (never heard this at a gig before) and Sleepwalk. A unique and very entertaining version of both songs.

All I can say about All Along The Watchtower is that it was guitar picking at its best.

A song called Homesickness showed how the loopback really adds to a tune. Another unique song with great highs and lows. Compulsive listening!

Paul finished the set with Black Magic Woman and did Same Old Reality as an encore.

I have never heard a gig take place in such audience silence (apart from the applause). That alone speaks volumes. The audience ranged in age from 6 to over 70. All felt that they had heard something fresh and thoroughly entertaining. Paul displayed a great range of styles from the songs simply done well to those with more intricate guitar variations. This set will appeal to jazz lovers, blues followers and guitar aficionados. It has something for everybody.

Personally I missed a real guitar thrash  like Highway to Hell or something similar. But that's just personal. The rest of the audience may have disagreed.

Those who were there heard something different even unique. Those who weren't there really missed out. Tough!

If you get another chance to see Paul Rose don't miss it!

I, for one, want to hear Paul Rose again. Maybe more than once.