Rainman
2004
In Tennessee
About This Album
Although technically he never left, Alvin Lee is back. Recorded in 2003 at original Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore's Nashville home studio, with Moore as the mastermind behind the sessions (although due to ear problems he only plays on two tracks), along with Presley's drummer D.J. Fontana on the skins, this would be a listenable effort regardless of who was singing. With ex-Ten Years After's Alvin Lee playing guitar and taking the lead vocals it's a powerfully compelling disc that approximates many of the Sun label greats. Recorded predominantly live in the studio and sounding it, these songs -- mostly originals written expressly for the sessions and an unexpectedly rip-snorting run through of the TYA chestnut "I'm Going Home" -- find Lee at his most enthusiastic. He's clearly having a blast returning to his roots with some of the original architects of the sound backing him up, and that energy jumps out of the grooves. The songs aren't particularly memorable ("I'm Gonna Make It" is little more than a rewrite of "Great Balls of Fire," "How Do You Do It" sounds like any number of Chuck Berry tunes) but Lee is singing harder and riffing with more fire than he has in years.
Track List (try tracks 7,9 and 11)

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