Hugh Laurie-Didn’t It Rain (2013)

Hugh Laurie-Didn’t It Rain (2013)

“It's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to make a blues record."
Hugh Laurie 

By: Ghost Writer

 How should I call him Hugh or House? The magical tragedy of the enormous character Laurie managed to create is that it perhaps become his major achievement and it might be impossible for Laurie to top that, the good thing is that Laurie is a renaissance man and perhaps thru music or literature, Laurie might be able to give us some more good surprises in the future.

That’s just the case of Didn't it Rain, Laurie's blues record issued a couple of years ago, in 2013, it might be a little difficult to take Laurie music career for granted, but it’s also hard to immediately count him out, the record is an exuberant one and that makes it interesting enough to give it a listen and get immersed in Laurie's whiskey soaked vein of deep southern blues, not bad for a British gentleman turned sarcastic Sherlock Holmes like doctor.

Didn't it Rain is a record that someone like Tom Waits would be happy with as it easily falls into the enjoyable waters if blues, jazz and even tango, it's a dense recording with Laurie's companion musicians playing the blues with passion sometimes outshining Laurie who obviously understands his limitations as singer and remains happy a little lost begin the talents I his band, and perhaps that's what makes this record so enjoyable.

The St Louis Blues is laid back and noisy, with swinging horns leading the way, and little voodoo swamp magic to flesh it out, Junkers Blues a tale about hard drugs shoes Laurie really battered and in character, while Kiss of Fire is an amazing blues tango with female vocals taking the spot light, Vickshurg Blues on the other side nearly gets on Waits maniac growling territory.

Wild Honey is perhaps the best place on the record to spot Laurie and his piano playing, a great time with gospel chorus and honky tonk piano and a colossal drums and keys passage, but Evenin ends up as another good showcase for Laurie although his singing is a little disappointing here.

Didn't it Rain may not make Laurie the next Ray Charles, not even the next Tom Waits but is a great record, enjoyable from beginning to end, it shows Laurie in the mood for southern blues, a feat not many Britons could take so easily, and not exactly putting Laurie on Eric Clapton's level, but showing that Laurie can keep up with some of New Orleans best.

Laurie might bit be remembered as the next Eric Clapton, or the next Mick Jagger, but you sense that the man really lives and feels what he is doing, and he is pretty capable of repeating this feat a couple of more times in the future with ease, Laurie was the first to congratulate Greece First Minister Alexis Tsipras when he won the elections, now, with Greece´s tribulations it might be time for Laurie to start singing Alexis Tsipras blues, or find a way, using House high IQ to help finance minister Varoufakis…