Bad For You Baby was Gary Moore's 17th and final studio album released in his lifetime, it is one of the 5 Gary Moore albums being re-issued on 24th April, along with his final four albums, the 55th Anniversary re-issue of Heavy Petting by Dr Strangely Strange, the band he was in prior to joining Thin Lizzy. His band for Bad For You Baby were Pete Rees, Sam Kelly and Vic Martin with special guests Cassie and Otis Taylor. The album was produced by Gary Moore and engineered by Greg Jackman, Mark Lewis and Nicole Wiemann at Sarm West Studios in London.
The album opens with the heavy electric blues of the title song Bad For You Baby, Gary leaves you in no doubt just how much lust he has towards you, go on give in to that guitar that's trying to undress you, while the bass and drums are shuffling ever closer to you, he knows you will always be the one for him, so give in and be is baby now.
Down The Line has an express train rhythm, like they are on an Intercity 125 going full speed ahead, trying to work out how this affair went wrong and what Gary did to cross that line, playing hundred notes every 10 seconds might have exhausted her, but this just flies by.
Umbrella Man isn't a reply to Rhianna as far as I can tell, this is just blasting blues intensity for all the pain and angst he needs to get off his chest, he tells you to take all your problems to the man next door, all he really wants to do is play another immense guitar solo.
Holding On slows things down and is quite keyboard centric, with cool backing vocals from Cassie Taylor, I assume this song also features Otis Taylor but as they aren't listed on the liner notes it's unclear.
Walkin' Thru The Park sounds more like a good trot, than a stroll with Gary blazing away on his guitar, doing all sorts of theatrics that the keyboards try to keep up with him, on this Muddy Waters classic. Al Kooper's I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know is played as a slow ruminative begging and pleading blues, of loss and yearning for the woman who has ditched him, he isn't as soulful as Donny Hathaway, but gives it a bit more grit instead, along with a rather overblown, windswept slow burning guitar solo, that Gary dredges every last bit of emotion out of.
Mojo Boogie is a hard driving blues take on the J.B Lenoir standard via Johnny Winter, with Gary showing his mojo was still working and fully intact, this is boogie blues magic with great stop start drumming and an immense propulsive edge to the band blasting away.
Someday Baby is an electrified take on the Muddy Waters stonker, Gary makes it clear what a mistake you'll be making if you leave him behind, he wrings every emotion he can out of his guitar, while the band just stroll along letting him blast all over the top.
Do You Ever Feel Lonely? Well if you did Gary has a cure for you, stop crying by yourself, he makes clear you need some tip top heartbroken blues guitar, to soothe the pain of knowing your woman is with another man, she may even be with Gary, so down that whisky and let his guitar take your pain away, with a rhythm that feels like its stabbing you in the heart, your sorrows are made clear.
Preacher Man Blues takes Gary down to Galilee to meet his god, blowing some harmonica to chase away the devil with. He begs for mercy for all his wicked deeds, well the devil did give him all his best guitar licks.
The album closes with Trouble Ain't Far Behind one last down hearted broken blues for one more relationship that’s fallen apart, this slow minimal backing is full of restraint with Gary pouring out his soul once more both lyrically and through his heart wrenching guitar solo.
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