No one in the music biz these days has a more impressive resume than Albert Lee. After taking the helm of Heads Hands & Feet, one of the first bands in the U.K. to embrace the country-rock mantle, he subsequently crossed the Atlantic and became a much in-demand session player, adding credentials that include a veritable who’s who of today’s roots rock royalty (Emmylou Harris, the Everly Brothers and the Crickets to name but three). Like many hired guns, Lee’s downplayed his solo career, at least until recently. Just as his last album, Heartbreak Hill, revealed him as an inspired artist in his own right, his new effort, Road Runner, more or less marks a return to his roots. Tapping such venerable songwriters as Holland/Dozier/Holland, Jimmy Webb, Delbert McClinton, John Hiatt and Richard Thompson, Lee balances the rollicking rockabilly and R&B of “(I’m A Road Runner),� “Didn’t Start Livin’� and “Living It Down� with the tender folk finesse of “The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress� and “Julie’s House.� While his guitar picking is impressive as ever, he proves equally adept at supple piano, a further example of his ample instrumental prowess. Daughter Alexandra Lee takes a stunning lead vocal on “Dimming Of The Day,� although any hint of nepotism quickly dissipates prior to the first indelible refrain.
(Release date: April 11, 2006)
