‘Born in Mississippi... a child of the Delta,’ sings Danny Bryant on the harmonica-soaked Greenwood 31. Bryant actually grew up in Royston, Hertfordshire, but he can do a good bluesy replication, citing influences ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Jimi Hendrix, while his vocals have a plaintive, Neil Young-like air.
And there’s no doubting his technical excellence, particularly on the shredding finale Painkiller. However, despite some nice engineering touches from Manics producer Richard Hammerton, Hurricane sounds a bit too much like it was recorded before Bryant was born, the album being too fixated on the dead past.
Paying homage is fine, but the real way to honour Hendrix would be to take a more sonically adventurous, less retrograde approach in the studio.
