Review: Kirk Fletcher – Keep On Pushing
Kirk Fletcher – Keep On Pushing
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital / Label: VizzTone Label Group
Release: 2025
Text: Pascal Wilhelm
I always thought of Kirk Fletcher as the eternal sideman, but I never realized that ‘Keep On Pushing’ is his eighth (!) studio recording. So, apart from playing guitar with Joe Bonamassa, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kim Wilson, The Mannish Boys, Eros Ramazotti, Cindy Lauper, Michelle Branch and Charlie Musselwhite (not an exhaustive list), he also, since 1999, has been maintaining a modest, but steady solo career.
On this album, co-produced by JD Simo, it’s a mix of ten covers and originals. “The album mines some classic songs by Big Bil Broonzy, Arthur Crudup, Percy Mayfield and more, along with originals by Fletcher and a tribute to Robert Nighthawk co-written with JD Simo”, according to Kirk’s website. Of course, we also hear him sing on this album. Kirk has a soft voice, but powerful enough to carry a tune. His guitar playing is, as always, exceptional and firmly rooted in the blues. My favorite song? Here In The Dark, a slow blues in minor (nr. 9 on the album). If this would have been the last song on the album it would have been fine. The Blues For Robert Nighthawk (also a slow blues, with slide guitar) sounds great, but is not, to my taste, the kind of capstone that fits well after hearing Here In The Dark.
I appreciate Kirk’s natural tone and traditional feel on this album, which was recorded in the Wow and Flutter Studio in East Nashville with Ron Eoff on the bass and Jason Smay on the drums, “a dream team of Nashville players.” And yes, these two men form a rhythm section one can only dream of.
One slight point of critique is the mix: for a “live in the studio” album I would have expected a more “open” sound. The mix sounds a bit compressed with the guitar up front. A matter of taste, of course. In all, this a fine blues album from a true gentleman of the blues.
I sincerely hope that the stroke he suffered on stage in 2023 won’t be a harbinger for something worse and that Kirk can keep on pushing with the blues for many more years to come.
Tracks:
01. It’s Love Baby
02. Just A Dream
03. I’m Gonna Dig Myself A Hole
04. Every Dog Has Its Day
05. Lost Love
06. Croke
07. Keep On Pushing
08. Think Twice Before You Speak
09 Here In the Dark
10. Blues For Robert Nighthawk
Website: http://kirkfletcherband.com/