Blue Mesa is Luke Winslow King’s fifth album, and his fourth for Bloodshot Records, coming two years after ‘I’m Glad Trouble Don’t Last Always’. His latest offering serves up a familiar sound with well-constructed, heartfelt songs that make this an easy listen. Recorded in Lari, Italy with long-term collaborator and blues guitar dynamo, Robert Luti, the album includes contributions from Chris Davies (King James and The Special Men) and Mike Lynch (Bob Seger, Larry McCray) amongst others.
The gospel-tinged ‘You Got Mine’ pulls you in with a warm declaration of love. Title track ‘Blue Mesa’ blends wonderful velvet vocals with a contagious hook that puts you in a heavenly, summer place, and whilst ‘Born to Roam’ kicks it a little harder, there is most definitely a general theme of contentment and celebration on this wonderful record. This will satisfy blues lovers. There is a strong Robert Cray influence especially ‘Better For Knowing You’. My personal favourite is the final track, ‘Farewell Blues’, which boasts some sublime slide guitar work – beautiful.
Summary
Well-constructed, heartfelt songs make this an easy listen
