Jack Broadbent
By Mark Hudson
Judging by his honey cured voice and incendiary slide guitar playing, you might think that Jack Broadbent was born on the Bayou. Or the Mississippi Delta. But no, try about 3,000 miles away in rural Lincolnshire, England. And this Lincolnshire lad tears it up on Ride, a simmering, spicy jambalaya of boogie, rock, and blues. In 2016 the Montreux Jazz Festival hailed Broadbent as “the new master of the slide guitar.” He has since gone on to tour with such six string heavyweights as Ronnie Wood and Peter Frampton. Impressive company indeed.
On Ride, which is his sixth album, the acclaimed British blues rocker is ably backed by his dad Mick Broadbent on bass, and drummer/co-producer Mark Gibson. Gibson and Broadbent are both based in Quebec where they recorded their tracks. They then sent them to England for the elder Broadbent to add his bass lines. You would never know it. This is one of the most “live band throwing it down in the studio” sounding albums I have ever heard, the groove mighty in every track!
Music was always a constant presence in Broadbent’s life, his father (and his earliest influence) being a well-established working musician who played with Bram Tchaikovsky (ex The Motors) among others. Jack started out playing drums, but then switched to guitar when he became more interested in song writing. He developed his searing slide guitar playing style from busking in his early 20’s. He listened to artists such as John Lee Hooker and Little Feat, but he soon realized that he wanted to forge his own sound, combining the feel of blues with the drive of rock and roll.
For the gearheads amongst you, Jack favors classic axes. He plays both a Hofner Senator acoustic, and a Hofner Congress acoustic, both 1965 models. He also has a Gibson Melody Maker electric from the same year. But perhaps his pride and joy is a 1948 Gibson LG-2 acoustic, a legendary guitar.
Broadbent just wrapped a well-received tour with Little Feat (full circle for the boy who grew up listening to their records and studying Lowell George’s slide technique). He is back in the States for a string of dates in August, supporting Son Volt. On the evidence of Ride I would say that those are “can’t miss” shows.
On Ride Broadbent sets out his stall from the get-go, the title track and opener is a propulsive rocker, featuring his gritty vocals and percolating slide. Watch the accompanying video; Broadbent, looking a little like Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes with his shades, long hair and beard, nonchalantly tears off his solo with a hip flask for a slide. He sings the song while motorvatin’ down the highway in classic Chuck Berry style. Cool.
Next up is “I Love Your Rock and Roll”, a blast of a boogie blues shuffle with a catchy chorus. Jack throws in a wailing solo whilst backing it up with some unexpected chord changes to keep things interesting. As tour mate Bill Payne of Little Feat says, he shows “an almost reckless abandon when he gets revved up!”
And Jack gets revved up throughout this whole record, busting out great solos that jump out of the speakers in every song.
“New Orleans” starts with some chicken scratch guitar before Jack’s bold vocals profess his love for the burgh in question. As a fellow Brit I can attest to the spell this city casts – there’s no place like it on Earth!
“Hard Livin’” is a slow and greasy barroom blues with more than a nod to the feel of SRV’s “Tin Pan Alley.” Broadbent’s laconic drawl of a vocal contrasts sharply with his emotive solos, crashing like waves upon the breakers.
“Midnight Radio” has a nice and easy-going loping groove as it seems to pay homage to radio stations everywhere that keep roots music alive.
The following track “Baby Blue” is a slinky, funky workout, the use of double tracked vocals in the chorus giving it an almost commercial strut. Broadbent again blows the track wide open with another scorching solo.
“Grace” is another righteous boogie, this time with kind of a Canned Heat vibe, including a fiery distorted harp solo.
The closing song, “Who are you” brings a somewhat ghostly end to proceedings, Broadbent’s voice alternating between a close mic’d breathiness and an eerie falsetto. It’s a thoughtful and questioning finale to what has been an exhilarating journey.
If you are hitch hiking on the highway of life, then take a chance and take a “Ride” with Jack Broadbent.
You won’t regret it.
Watch “Midnight Radio”
Order link for Ride by Jack Broadbent
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