Record Review - 2 April 15 2000

Ian Moore presents something of a problem to the way things are supposed to be done. After all, shouldn’t an Austin-bred guitarist with a soulful voice be bending out blues notes like falling rain and lapping up acclaim as heir apparent to Stevie Ray Vaughn’s blues-rock throne? It’s not that Moore doesn’t have the licks to pull off what the legions of SRV wannabes wish they could do; his muse simply lies more with guitarists/songwriters Curtis Mayfield or Richard Thompson than gutbucket blues rock.

If anything, Moore’s fourth album, And All the Colors (his second since the acrimonious split with Capricorn Records), strengthens his ties to the Mayfield/Thompson axis of guitarists. Sure, Moore can play some mind-bending solos and he does throughout the record. However, the solos are less an excuse to show how badass a guitarist Moore is and more to further the song in particular. Either way, Moore’s skill on the guitar packs plenty of punch.

More importantly, Moore’s skill as a songwriter has grown leaps and bounds since his previous release, Ian Moore’s Got the Green Grass. “Closer” is a wonderfully swirling tune, and the quirky “Johnny Cash and His Electric Bible” is probably the most sympathetic tale of the Man in Black to date. Tunes like “Magdelena” and “Angelyne” are pure pop beauty, and the propulsive “Leary’s Gate” is one of the most powerful tunes in Moore’s diverse repertoire.

And All the Colors is a powerful and affecting record; it’ll be interesting to hear what colors Moore uses to paints his next tapestry.

Ian Moore plays Smith’s Olde Bar on Thursday, April 13.