High Strung Low Key

Album Review

Leigh Stephens remains best known as the original guitarist in Blue Cheer, a credit that has earned him rankings as one of the 100 all-time greatest heavy metal guitarists in Guitar World magazine and as one of the top 100 guitarists of all time in Rolling Stone magazine. But his tenure in Blue Cheer ended in 1968, and one could hardly expect him to be repeating his licks from "Summertime Blues" 36 years later on this, his third solo album (unless, that is, the album had been recorded for a major label instead of being self-issued). Stephens isn't much interested in proto-heavy metal anymore, but he does have a distinct guitar sound, drenched in sustain and echo, and he conducts a master class in string bending on this outing, which, despite featuring vocals by Eva Caperon on six of the ten tracks, is more of an instrumental guitar album than anything else. Actually, Stephens reaches back before Blue Cheer for influences including Duane Eddy and the Ventures as he plays several familiar melodies and some originals. He can show a biting rhythmic attack to go along with the bitter tone of "You Can't Handle the Truth," with its soundbites of movie dialogue and presidential prevarication, and he can be nearly spiritual in "Dreamland." But he always has his own voice as a guitarist, one that justifies the accolades from writers who haven't heard new music from him in decades.