Chris Jagger's Atcha! - Act Of Faith

Yes, you read the surname correctly. Chris Jagger is the younger brother of Mick, Knight Of The Realm and member of the Rolling Stones popular beat combo.

It may come as a surprise to most people that Chris Jagger has had a recording career since 1973 and in recent years has built up a reputation as a great live act with his band Atcha!

Atcha! consists of Jagger on vocal and guitar, former Ronnie Lane and Ian Durry sideman Charlie Hart on keyboard and fiddle, Paul Emile on bass and Malcolm and Jim Mortimore on drums and guitar respectively. The line up is bolstered on several tracks by guests such as Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd, singer Sam Brown from Jools Holland's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and Jagger's brother Mick joins for one track. "The DJ Blues".

"The DJ Blues" is a plea to the DJ on the radio to cut out the chat and play some good time blues and features a roll call of great bluesmen such as Ellmore James, Roosevelt Sykes and Matt "Guitar" Murphy and features a fine harmonica break by presumably Mick Jagger.

It has often been remarked how Pink Floyds Dave Gilmour's guitar style is influenced by bluesmen such as Albert King and evidence of that is on the slow blues of "Junkman", one of the two tracks to feature Gilmour. The sounds of Louisiana are visited on two songs, "Get Me Where You Want" and "Baby Come Back", both featuring Zydeco accordion by multi-instrumentalist Charlie Hart.

You can't go wrong with a Bo Diddley beat and that is utilized on "15% Extra", which also features what sounds like an electronic saxophone. "Cream In My Coffee" is performed in the Nu Blues style of Little Axe with a metronomic back beat. "Everybody Party" has a latin flavour reminiscent of Steely Dan.

This album will probably be placed in the blues section of the music stores, but blues can mean a variety of styles and a lot of them are featured here on an album that deserves to sell a lot more than it probably will.

Derek McCann

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