Review:

on 2011-02-22 CharlesMartel Said:

The Blues Project is something of a misnomer for the band when it comes to this album. Though the individual members of the band came from, and later went on to more blues oriented music, there is little of that to be heard in "Projections". In truth, the blues part of the album only really starts to come out midway through the album. Generally there is quite a mix of styles which, while pleasant enough, does seem to tear the album in several different directions at once. There are a mix of flavours in here, from jazz through soul to garage and psychedelia. Initially this mixture can seem very disconcerting and sometimes makes for listening to the whole album at one go a rather difficult task. But, you get used to it.

Being their second album release of the year, one might expect that it comes across as more jaded and world weary. While it is a mature sounding album, it is surprisingly full of the enthusiasm and joie de vivre which characterised the band from the outset. The internal chemistry was such that the band seemed to be in a constant state of anguish about what they were doing and this led to some serious tensions between the band members. While this did not make for longevity of the band, it did make for some interesting and powerful recordings.

The opening track, "I Can't Keep from Crying" is a good way to start and has a strong gospel basis for its sound. After this, however, the album starts to veer off course. Don't get me wrong, "Steve's Song" is a good enough track, but it is much more of a folk song than a blues or a rock song. It is very much the sort of song you would have in mind if asked to describe 1966 in musical terms (this was before the Summer of Love, remember). The band revert to this style of music later in the album with "Flute Thing", an aptly named instrumental. You can just hear someone say, "what shall we call that flute thing we do when we jam around? Yeah, let"s call it Flute Thing".

In between these two tracks is a long, extended blues jam called "Two Trains Running", a lighter pop number ("Cheryl's Coming Home") and "Wake Me, Shake Me" which always makes me think the track is something it is not - it does in fact bring to bear further gospel influences on the band. Another long jam, "Caress Me Baby" pops up towards the end and the album rounds out with "Fly Away". It is during the two long jams that the band display their blues orientation at its most pronounced. It is no surprise that these are the two most successful tracks on the album. It is almost as if the band are, with these tracks, presaging the blues rock revolution which was to emerge later in the decade and culminate with bands like Led Zeppelin.

The failure of the band to stick to a single style is both "Projections" greatest flaw and its greatest strength. The band undoubtedly comprised a number of excellent musicians and the fact the band tore itself apart over musical differences suggests that the stylistic differences which pop up here were forerunners of those later difficulties. The folk and the blues elements sit uneasily together, especially when the blues element becomes rather self-indulgent on the long jams. It is almost as if the band were trying too hard to be innovative on what is, after all, primarily a pop album. Yes this album is worth a good listen to, and yes it definitely grows on you, but it is more a case of promise unfulfilled rather than objective attained.
Rating: 6/10