Artist: Gillan, Ian
Label: Eagle Records
Release: 2009
Duration: 40.00
Rating: 3.5/5
In his spare time, meaning when he’s not serving the interests of hard rock dinosaurs Deep Purple, Ian Gillan has veered off the beaten musical path plenty of times before. Fueled by the fever of the gentleman’s never-ending clash of inexhaustible imagination and biting sense of humor, those detours long ago earned him a special place in the iconography of hard rock. It’s been a good 10 years since Ian’s last album. A solid decade of musical hibernation was apparently enough for the gentleman’s creaky old bones to settle snugly back into their original positions from 1853, where they now soak up the sun without a care in the world. That’s probably also why One Eye To Morocco is one of Ian’s most laid-back, or let’s say mood-driven, albums of his entire career.
Gillan takes his time “surrendering to the dizzying charms of sipping coffee and munching Turkish delight” and, as old farts should, calmly peels back layer after layer of the colorful genre collage One Eye To Morocco has to offer, without a shred of impatience. As befits a gentleman of mature years, Ian keeps a wide-open view of the world spinning around him every day, and his restless artistic soul is fed by ever new sources of inspiration. Making use of the differences in how we perceive the world is of course always welcome when it comes to the colorfulness of musical expression, as long as you don’t overdo the tinkering. In that respect Gillan does lose his footing in places with the unevenness of his newest creation, but the situation is nowhere near critical. Ian is in good form, his voice sounds confident, and as usual the man impresses with the spontaneity of his trademark bursts of cynicism and sarcastic observations.
Like I said, One Eye To Morocco comes across as a thrilling travelogue lecture that doesn’t skimp on emotional mood swings, Eastern aromas and other ornaments of oriental origin. You’ll have a hard time escaping the allure of this lively musical journey. The album doesn’t weigh on the listener; it rather leaves the imagination a free hand. Its spontaneity springs from the astonishing versatility of Gillan’s backing crew, who, fluently, lightly and effortlessly, riding on the wings of airy production, soften the meaning of the taken-for-granted, cemented-in borders between genre landscapes. Gillan happily walks us from the sharply spiced Arabic motifs of the title track, to the intoxicating musical cocktail built on the basic principles of harmonica blues in Change My Ways, while Don’t Stop momentarily rocks us in the embrace of bouncy Latin rhythms. The presence of old-school rock moves is welcome, with simply fenced-in, rhythmically harder-shod ideas in Texas State Of Mind and the most down-to-business No Lotion For That. Its sister track Better Days, more or less blindfolded, goes looking for happiness by sniffing around the spice rack of sentimental blues. Too bad that at this point of peak ambience the reins suddenly slip from Ian’s hands. The lack of quality control is plain to see on Ultimate Groove, and the tasteless implant of a drum machine on Deal With It sounds downright bizarre. In these unpleasant feelings of general disorientation, Girl Goes To Show confirms the mood, dictating alternative rock directions, while The Sky Is Falling Down, richly stuffed with environmental awareness, and especially the charming poem with the telling title Always The Traveller, thrive nicely on the organic feel of their own expression.
Despite a few slip-ups, One Eye To Morocco is a praiseworthy stew of all the essential ingredients of Gillan’s musical kitchen, and proof that the years haven’t robbed Ian of his unmistakable charm and charisma. Ian Gillan remains an attraction of a special kind, no exceptions, even in the calmer state of spiritual exploration that One Eye To Morocco shows off. Ian’s older admirers will warm up to the album fast, and the laid-back feel of its approach and the carefree energy it runs on could just as well win over people who are only vaguely familiar with the legendary musician and his work.
Lineup
Ian Gillan: vocals
Steve Morris: guitar
Michael Lee Jackson: guitar
Rodney Appleby: bass
Howard Wilson: drums
Joe Mennonna: saxophone
Lance Anderson: keyboards
Jesse O’Brien: keyboards
Production
Nick Blagona
Tracklist
1. One Eye To Morocco
2. No Lotion For That
3. Don’t Stop
4. Change My Ways
5. Girl Goes To Show
6. Better Days
7. Deal With It
8. Ultimate Groove
9. Sky Is Falling
10. Texas State Of Mind
11. It Would Be Nice
12. Always The Traveller
