Artist:     Colin Linden & Luther Dickinson

Album:     Amour

Label:     Stony Plain Records

Release Date:     2.08.2019

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Amour is far from dead if this splendid ten-track release is anything to go by. An album with some truly wonderful good old music, played with absolute mastery and ability at every turn, the surprises flow from the unexpected tracks covered here and the never-overplayed nuances at the core.

We’re all used to Linden turning out polished performances, often with a pounding, forceful push, blues fretwork and slide work that these days is very much his trademark. With Amour, however, he has delivered a much more introverted, laid-back selection of tracks that seem to harken back to the heady days of early rock ‘n’roll, with a late 50s/early 60s vibe rattling around on most cuts. Dickinson, adds his own unexpected stamp to the project with a similarly understated feel and movement from a guy known for his more explosive, driving power with the North Mississippi Allstars.

Joined here by a lightly-flavored harmonic backing from the Tennessee Valentines (Fats Kaplan, Rachael Davis, Ruby Amanfu, Billy Swan and Sam Palladio) Linden and Dickinson cover tracks from Jimmy Reed, Jesse Stone, Kris Kristofferson, opening with an unexpectedly laid-back instrumental version of “Careless Love,” a track reprised later with some lush vocal support from Rachael Davis.

Taken in the round, Amour is little beauty of an album, a genuinely lovely release that never rattles or roars but always slips down nicely, full of taste and talent.

—Iain Patience