Music
Aynsley Lister
Caves, Edinburgh
Rob Adams
three stars
AYNSLEY Lister isn’t one to over-romanticise life in a song. There are no tales of travelling down Route 66 or Highway 61 for the Leicester-born singer-guitarist. Instead, he sings what he sees. So, in Early Morning Dew there’s a man with a squeegee in his hand, wiping his windscreen – possibly a first in a blues-rock lyric.
Lister comes across as an honest performer and with his knack of creating tough, hard-rocking riffs and urgent grooves his appeal among the blues-rock audience is understandable. He’s sold 100,000-plus albums – nothing in the pop world’s pre-download heyday, true, but an achievement in his milieu – and he’s done it by getting into the van and putting in the miles.
There’s still a hunger in his music and his strong vocals carry sincerity while his guitar solos seem crafted with direct singable lines more than showboating in mind. Leading a four-piece band he made an immediate impact, making firm eye contact with his audience and communicating clearly and amiably.
Il Grande Mafioso entered the world of gangster films with a spooky keyboard intro and Other Part of Me showcased the great timekeeping, punchy precision and rhythmical feel of his excellent drummer, Boneto Dryden. If the set lost its way at times – a cover of the Meters’ Cissy Strut sounded more like a soundcheck jam and call and response sequences with his bassist and keyboardist didn’t add much of value – Lister’s presentation and variety of pacing was always able to steer the music back on course.
Muddy Waters’ Champagne & Reefer underlined strong blues roots that remain intact even as Lister’s newer material gathers a more mainstream rock momentum – and possibly wider appreciation for his talents.
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