This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
No, really. Believe it or not, Gary Moore took a break from the blues on his previous two albums: 1997’s Dark Days in Paradise and 1999’s A Different Beat. Thankfully, it wasn’t a permanent vacation. With the aptly (if unimaginatively) titled Back To The Blues, he’s returned in his comfort zone — with a vengeance.
Truth be told, this 13th outing might have better been called Rocking the Blues, as that’s precisely what the expressively explosive guitarist does on this 10-song set, putting his crack band through its paces as he barnstorms his way through ripsnorting juke-joint raveups like Looking Back and Cold Black Night, taking a breather here and there to lay back and caress a downbeat, last-call weeper like Stormy Monday. Never mind where he’s been lately — when he can make albums this smoking, Moore can go anywhere he wants.
