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Bernie Torme - Dublin Cowboy


by Kevin Wierzbicki

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Irish guitarist and singer Bernie Torme may not be a household name in the U.S. but he is certainly not an unknown; most notably he had a stint as lead guitarist in Gillan and he also had the unenviable task of taking over guitar chores for Ozzy Osbourne's Diary of a Madman tour after the death of Randy Rhoads. Add 20 or so solo and collaborative releases with the likes of Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) and Clive Burr (Iron Maiden) and it becomes obvious that there's been plenty of Torme's music out there to enjoy. And now there's a lot more as the prolific ax man comes forward with the triple disc set Dublin Cowboy.

Broken into electric, acoustic and live sets, the electric set opens with "Dublin Cowboy," a rocker with stinging guitar riffs and a galloping rhythm, before moving on to cuts like the Mott the Hoople/Jimi Hendrix mash-up of "Time Has Taken its Toll" and the blues of "Way it Rolls." The electric set closes with the lengthy blues jam "Already Gone," and while there are plenty of guitar pyrotechnics throughout the album, Torme really gets to stretch out and sizzle here.

Whereas the electric effort is all about groove, the acoustic sides are more about being mellow and reflective; that doesn't mean that Torme's guitar work is any less stunning. Torme does some delicate picking (and yes, some howling!) on "Wolfgirl" and reveals his folky side and talent for storytelling on cuts like "Lady November," "Lethe" and the appropriately Celtic-tinged "Cirkus."

The live side is all electric and filled primarily with rowdy blues rockers like "Bullet in the Brain" and "Trouble" and straight-ahead rockers like "Wild West." Three album sets almost always are padded with filler or overindulgence; Dublin Cowboy bucks that trend as Torme ropes in what may very well be a career-defining collection.

Get your copy here

Bernie Torme - Dublin Cowboy
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