Review: Black Lightning – Blue Highways

Independent

Reviewer: Dan Mann

Well I’ve finally got off my arse and put diget to keyboard to review Black Lightning‘s new album ‘Blue Highways‘.

Frontman Mark Jackson and I go way back, back to those heady days of the Marquee when his other band Medicine Hat were starting to make some pretty big waves! So I thought I knew what I was going to hear on ‘Blue Highways‘, but no how wrong was I?

Mark’s vocal style is somewhat different on this release, but boy do I like it! This is an album of  wonderful dirty blues rock, which sounds absolutely superb, due to the fine knob twiddling and production skills of Steve Loveday.

It’s important I tell you that the album is dedicated to founder member Rich East, who sadly passed away in 2018.

The measure of an album I like is simply how many times I play it, and ‘Blue Highways‘ has certainly had a few spins.

With the likes of ‘God In Heaven‘ with it’s country vibe, ‘Statesboro Blues‘ which delivers a foot tapping hook, and my absolute favorite track ‘Escape To Mexico‘ which has me raising the volume again and again, this is a solid, mature release and one that deserves to be taken seriously.

So if blues rock is your thing, then this needs to be in your collection!