With the return of musical legend Mose Allison to recording after a dozen year absence the world can almost be considered a slightly more refined place. With his place in musical history firmly established two generations or more ago he has returned to recording not with a flourish but with his usual skill, aplomb and of course, humour. The Way of the World finds the august piano man working with a rootsy combo that stays out of the way of the architect allowing him just enough able support to make every song take on a distinct personality of it’s own. Opening with the cute “My Brain” replete with its acquired “My Babe” blues arrangement, Allison begins the set with a journeyman’s skill and wit. Is it jazz? Is it blues with a feeling? You will be the judge but with the added credibility of his songs being covered over the years by the Who, the Clash, Leon Russell, Blue Cheer and Van Morrison you know you are heading for the ground zero of cool iconoclasts. A most enjoyable album that commands respect and even reverence, The Way of the World is a poignant yet carefree statement from a master not yet lost to the ages. (Anti-, www.anti.com) Jeff Monk
Winnipeg music & culture since 1989