(Kingdom)

Globetrotting rock dervish plugs in and embarks on another mystical journey

The mighty Tea Party may be history, but as soon as Jeff Martin’s sturdy, mainly acoustic solo album Exile And The Kingdom came out in 2005, it became evident the Canadian rocker was not going to stop his blues/Indian/Middle Eastern music explorations, either alone or in a band guise. This time around, the double Irish/Western Australian resident enlists veteran drummer Wayne Sheehy, cranks up his Marshall stacks and unleashes some prime vintage mojo. Suffice to say, The Armada kick almighty arse; the Led Zep grind of harmonica-laced opener Going Down Blues barely subsides before being followed by the appropriately Oriental-tinged, but no less crunchy Chinese Whispers. Back-to-back ballads Broken and Line In The Sand may not exactly reach the grandeur of Heaven Coming Down and Psychopomp, yet possess credible hooks to keep the listener enchanted while the sinister, honour killings-condemning Morocco is a classic, 7/8 rhythm-propelled Jeff Martin rocker. On an even trippier scale, The Rosary swirls and jangles like a bangles-covered Gypsy dancer and Tomorrow Never Knows-referencing Baby’s Come Undone features Martin’s tastiest sitar work since his Edges Of Twilight-era days. Ending with the twin ferocious stomp of Closure and Invocation, the eponymous-titled album contains a nice little surprise in the shape of a melodic hidden track (with a sweet E-bow outro to boot). The Marrakesh express is running again.

****

DENIS SEMCHENKO

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