Kirk Fletcher Heartache By The Pound

Ogierea Records (release date: 29 July) Seventh studio release from revered blues player

Around the time lockdown eased its grip on the world, Kirk Fletcher found himself on a mission to return to his roots and record a new album. In search of the correct location in which to lay down tracks, he settled on Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.“Fame is the mother church for soul music,” Kirk tells us. “It’s the same building where all these fantastic people like Otis Rush and Aretha Franklin have recorded. I wanted the vibe. I needed to bring these songs there.”

Assembling an all-star cast of musicians that included Reese Wynans (keyboards), Travis Carlton and Randy Bermudes (bass), Mark Pender (trumpet), Joe Sublett (saxophone) and a host of other top names from the session world, he laid down 10 tracks of soulful, gospel-flavoured blues in his own signature style.“I really wanted to do a blues record, so I sat down and allowed the songs to take over. I’m a bluesman, and I write about life. That’s the concept,” he affirms.

The album blasts off with the soulful bounce of ShineALightOnLove, each line punctuated by Kirk’s ever tasteful guitar: “Every time I pick up a guitar, I get down to business and play with a whole lot of soul,” he says. Lovers of a smokey night-time blues vibe will enjoy tracks such as NightBy Myself and the slow ballad ICan’tFindNoLove. The production is great, the guitar playing takes centre stage and the songs are rock solid. There’s plenty here to enjoy.

Standout track: ICan’tFindNoLove For fans of: BB King, Robert Cray

Kirk Fletcher recorded his album at Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, the “mother church of soul music”