Well-traveled guitarist
Darrell Bath has stepped on-stage with a dizzying roster of musicians over the years and, no matter the band or the artist, his unique style of rootsy blues guitar has always been a perfect fit, defying pigeonholing in either genre or era. Hence, perhaps, the equally dizzying array of musicians on this, his first solo effort. Recorded with a "house band" comprised of members from
Ian Hunter's band,
the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, and
the U.K. Subs,
Bath had a heavy-hitting foil for his songs across this outstanding set -- Memphis twang crossed with a very English sensibility. The songs unspool like the best and worst day ever at a backwoods roadhouse bar, where the swagger is often tinged with a rainy melancholia.
Bath is an excellent songwriter and this is apparent across "Bit of Your Pride," "To Die For," and the raw title track. This is music that we don't get to experience very often anymore -- unless we turn the record player needle back two or three decades -- which means that this reissue is extraordinarily welcome. Originally released in 2001,
Love and Hurt has been completely remastered and includes two bonus tracks; "All The Good Times We Had" is an outtake from
Nikki Sudden's The Truth Doesn't Matter sessions in 2005 and the rare "Flight 505" is from the
Rolling Stones tribute We Love You. ~ Dave Thompson