Review – Dan Patlanski – Movin’ On

Virgin Music Group ( March 1^st 2024 )

Reviewer:  Stephen Brophy

South African Blues Rock Artist Dan Patlansky is back with a new album ‘Movin’ On‘. Following up on 2022’s cracking ‘Shelter Of Bones‘ and continuing a career of releasing top notch albums, beautifully written songs and playing blistering live sets. Nothing has changed in his sphere with this new release, there is a different mix of music on ‘Movin’ On‘, but the quality is still held at that really high level.

From the opening track ‘Red Velvet Suit’, a bit of a boogie shuffle that’s definitely a tribute to his hero SRV to the end of the album we are treated to lots of different styles of song that not only stand on their individual merits but they knit together perfectly to create a wide tapestry with influences from Blues, Rock, Country/Americana and some sublime elements added for good measure.

While I think this is definitely an album to let seep into the pores and one that you should live with to allow you to pick up the nuances littered throughout, there’s definitely a couple of absolute stand out tracks but for me it’s picking the very cream of the crop out of a group of great songs. The title track ‘Movin’ On’ has a Country or Americana feel to it, it’s a slow paced brooding song that’s beautifully arranged and sung by Dan, with a subtle ebb and flow while maintaining a steady tempo, it’s a little different, but it’s great. This is however eclipsed by the truly wonderful ‘Who I Am’ which is such a terrific song, grabbed me straight away the first time I listened to the album and hasn’t let go since. It’s a track with a whole personality of it’s own, as with the rest of the album the guitar playing is superb, but this one isn’t a blues track as such, for me it’s just a songwriters song, it’s powerful, vocally different but perfect for the song and for some reason the vocal delivery makes me think of Chris Cornell’s solo material, the steady rumbling bass running right through it and a rhythm section that never overpowers the music. It’s just a terrific song that deserves a lot of attention.

For me this album contains Dan’s best performance vocally on any of his 11 studio albums to date and he’s got power and pain in equal measure where needed, the quality and tone of his voice is nearly as good as that of his screaming guitar, which I particularly love on ‘Baby’s Packin’ Heat’, with his fingers wandering all over the fretboard for eight plus minutes of just sitting back with your eyes closed and feeling it. I have really missed seeing Dan live over recent years, but I’m going to make a big effort to catching somewhere on his next visit to Europe, the songs on this album are just going to speak for themselves live.

This review is certainly late out of the blocks, but I managed to ignore seeing any reviews before I managed to get it finished and hopefully this manages to catch something of just how good this album is, yes it’s not 100% a blues rock album, but so what, when you have the ability to write music as he does in the end it’s just the quality that speaks for itself. Never write off an album because it contains something different, or a style that doesn’t maybe lay within your wheelhouse, take some time out and play this one through a few times, it’s more than just worth the effort, it would be a shame if you didn’t allow yourself the joy it may bring. ‘Movin’ On‘ is a mature, brilliantly crafted album that I look forward to listening to for many years to come.

Tracklist:

1 Red Velvet Suit

2 Who Am I

3 Humbled

4 Movin’ On

5 On My Way

6 One With Fire

7 Baby’s Packin’ Heat

8 Welcome In

9 Free Wheelin’

10 Lift Off