Duke Garwood’s stripped back blues have been haunting listeners for a decade, and now the London-based guitar virtuoso returns with his fifth solo album ‘Heavy Love‘.
Cinematic and unified in concept, it is an effective mood piece that is a product of dark weary nights, and provides an even better soundtrack for them.
The album was partly recorded in Josh Homme’s Pink Duck studio in Los Angeles, while Garwood enlisted Alain Johannes (QOTSA) to aid in instrumentation and engineering, and previous collaborator Mark Lanegan was brought in to mix the album. The small team’s subtle approach magnifies Garwood’s strengths – his unique guitar playing and his earthy voice, both have never sounded as rich as they do here.
Album opener ‘Sometimes‘ sets the tone for the rest of the album with its ominous instrumentation and light rhythm. Garwood paints a gripping and sinister opening scene with the lyrics, “We catch fire in the pouring rain”. His voice smolders under the hypnotic and sensual blues of the album’s title track, making it an undoubted highlight. “Snap your heels, run the wolf down, I will take all of you,” Garwood states as he vividly creates a cinematic and emotional experience that should engulf the listener.
Although Garwood is a guitar virtuoso, and is proficient with a number of instruments, it is clear that he understands the importance of the space in between the notes he is playing. The low hum and sparse guitar playing on ‘Roses’ allows the song’s lyrics to breathe with sincerity, and the reflective ‘Sweet Wine’ may remind some of Ryan Adams because of its confessional lyrics and stripped back approach.
Elsewhere, Garwood stretches his musical muscles. ‘Disco Lights’ is a reverb drenched duet that has shades of jazz, and its outro might be the album’s single finest moment. ‘Suppertime In Hell’ brightens the mood with its prickly acoustics and light production. “For it’s two for one in Hell, and the trouble is so real,” Garwood sings with a sly tongue in cheek.
The radio finger picking blues of ‘Burning Seas’ diversifies the musical flavor of the album while remaining true to the overall lyrical theme and mood. The deep and dark ‘Honey In The Ear’ provides a rich soundscape for Garwood’s cavernous voice to fill in, and album closer ‘Hawaiian Death Song’ is a dark ambient soundscape that moves gracefully but has an underlying sense of despair.
As the title suggests, ‘Heavy Love’ explores the challenges and temptations that come with carrying a hefty amount of emotional weight. “Resist me, and make me strong,” Garwood’s low vocals rumble on the rhythmically tracing ‘Snake Man.’ His lyrical themes may be simply stated, but Johannes’ ambient production allows the words to resonate.
With this album, Garwood has created a subtle and emotionally grueling affair. Each successive listen reveals more musically, yet its emotional catharsis remains as poignant.
Garwood proves that the blues still remains timeless, even if its approach has evolved.
