A Sense of Place represents
Mayall's full-fledged return to major-label record-making, with all the good and bad things that implies, from a high-profile producer,
R.S. Field, to the introduction of such cover material as
Wilbert Harrison's "Let's Work Together" and
J.J. Cale's "Sensitive Kind."
Field uses a spare production style, light on atmosphere and heavy, as is the current fashion, on unusual percussion. This makes for an identifiable sound, to be sure, but you can't help thinking that it isn't what
The Bluesbreakers sound like on a good night in a small club. The result, as intended, was
Mayall's first chart appearance in 15 years, but as a commercial comeback, the record ultimately failed. ~ William Ruhlmann