"KINGS" is the first album of Bernie Marsden"s "Inspirations Series". Featuring 10 songs that were originally recorded by Albert, B.B. & Freddie King, and recorded in a studio in Oxfordshire with a band that just locked into a natural groove, "KINGS" is chock full of blues and soul. Additionally, two Bernie Marsden penned instrumentals inspired by The Kings appear as bonus tracks on the album.
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Marsden is best known as Whitesnake"s guitarist, leaving that band after 1982"s Saints & Sinners. That album featured "Here I Go Again," which Marsden co-wrote, cementing his place in rock history (although the version from the band"s 1987 self-titled album was re-recorded by a different line-up, becoming a huge hit). Like so many English rockers of a certain vintage, Marsden was heavily influenced by American blues, including the aforementioned three Kings. Kings spotlights some of the songs those artists are most famous for, with Marsden giving them his own spin.
Luckily, that doesn"t mean rendering these classic songs unrecognizable. Marsden keeps enough of each track in place so that you recognize the originals. Conversely, it doesn"t mean note-for-note covers, where it feels like someone tried to make a Xerox of a beloved tune. Marsden wisely and calmly lays down the songs following his own north star, not copping riffs so much as capturing a vibe.
For example, on "I"ll Play the Blues for You," made famous by Albert King (but written by Jerry Beach), it would be easy for Marsden to borrow Albert"s distinctive bending solo style (oh so many blues artists have helped themselves), but Marsden sounds like himself, even as the song has a 60s jam vibe, aided by organ, all of it helping to recall the iconic original, but not mindlessly duplicating it.
At the same time, Marsden is paying tribute to his influences, so it would be a little weird not to borrow some licks. His cover of Freddie King"s "You"ve Got to Leave Her with a Feeling" is faithful to the original, but here Marsden throws in the Albert-style big bends. And on "Same Old Blues," another Freddie song, Marsden gives us some B.B.-inspired guitar, almost sounding like a bee that can solo rather than sting.
Marsden ends the album with two of his own instrumentals, inspired by the Kings. "Runaway" gets a little Hendrix-y, but both tracks feel a little out of place on an album that"s supposed to celebrate the work of others. It"s an interesting move, though, because while all three Kings are known for their guitar work, they were also strong singers. The vocals are too often ignored in conversations around all three artists, and while Marsden"s voice is nothing like any of his honorees, it"s solid and more than capable of finding the nuance within the songs. Tracks with vocals might have been a better way to celebrate this trio of greats
It"s tough to make a record like this, that pays respect to the album subject but that also lets fans hear from a performer they recognize, but Marsden does a great job balancing both responsibilities in a thoughtful way.
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