War (c/o Discogs)
Many years ago, when Eric Burdon was the principal point of reference for my surname (something my dad hated), I took to calling him ‘Cousin Eric.’ Later, I discovered that this is true insofar as Eric and myself share a common ancestor around the turn of the 19th century.
I only really know Eric’s work from the Animals so this album was new to me, and… I really don’t know what to make of it at all. I don’t mean that in a bad way, necessarily.
In the main, this is Cousin Eric intoning (rather than singing) over grooves laid down by War, some funky, some bluesy. Most of the tracks are quite long and the lyrics have a stream of consciousness feel about them, even though in a couple of cases they’re clearly not (notably John D Loudermilk’s Tobacco Road.) It is adventurous, progressive, and different.
Where I have a hesitation is Eric’s vocal style, which here is a long way from the Animals. He adopts an American accent throughout, perhaps unconsciously, and I don’t think it works. Whether it would work in his native Geordie is open to question, but here I found it distracting. Having said that, the album is an interesting departure from the norm and worth a listen. Note that the opening track is about Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who is emerging as a constant influence on material coming out of London in 1970.
I found it on Spotify and it’s also on YouTube
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