Ian McLagan & The Bump Band: Never Say Never

I had the pleasure of meeting Ian McLagan in Austin, Texas recently, and I will tell you this man is a treat to hang with. Ian's a soulful keyboardist and a music veteran of The Small Faces/Faces and a session player for The Rolling Stones, Billy Bragg, Bob Dylan and many others. Here with his long-running Bump Band, including Mark Andes (ex-Spirit, Heart) on bass, Don Harvey on drums and "Scrappy" Jud Newcomb on guitars, he delivers some good, solid songs with his scratchy voice and always excellent keyboard skills. Patty Griffin makes a sweet appearance and the Tosca String Quartet bring their beautiful sound to the table too. "Where Angels Hide", a beautiful tribute to Ian's late wife, Kim, was tracked by George Reiff at The Edythe Bates Old Chapel at The International Festival-Institute in Round Top, Texas, and the rest of the CD was recorded at Ian's Doghouse Studios and mixed and mastered by the legendary Glyn Johns at Sphere Studios in London. (www.ianmclagan.com, www.macspages.com) -LC