Lost Ragas
Phantom Ride
Stovepipe Records / FUSE
In 2012, Matt
Walker released what was essentially his first ‘solo’ record, In Echoes Of Dawn, away from
long-running projects The Necessary Few, and his collaborations with drummer
Ash Davies. He went on to tour the album with a group of likeminded musical
mates, who now appear as part of Lost Ragas, Walker’s latest project in a
career spanning over twenty years.
Their debut, Phantom Ride, is a gem – a shimmering
paean to road-weary rock ‘n’ roll, rooted in the blues and using wavering
country as a staff with which to prop itself up as it meanders from one sonic
stop to another. Walker’s sinewy guitar is, of course, a focal point, as is his
tried and tested vocal (which, on the title track, sounds eerily similar to Lou
Reed’s).
Add to that some
stellar pedal steel and mandolin from Shane Reilly (who also arranges strings
on Dark Night), and you’ve got an
early contender for roots/rock ‘n’ roll album of the year.
4/5
Samuel J. Fell
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