Jeremy Spencer – Coventry Blue (2014)

A patchwork quilt of country blues and indie folk that warms the heart with a soulful flair. ~Brent Black / www.criticaljazz.com
The price of fame can be a double edged sword, for Jeremy Spencer there had to be something else. Discovered by Peter Green, this guitar virtuoso quickly made a name for himself as an original member of Fleetwood Mac only to leave on his own terms in 1971. Spencer still has all the goods including soulful vocals, a keen ear, and an approach on the slide guitar that still ranks as one of the finest in the world. Jeremy Spencer joined a Christian organization upon his departure from Fleetwood Mac and even though he continued to perform and write music there was no recorded works till 2005 with the critically acclaimed "Precious Little."
2014 brings Coventry Blue, a soulful patchwork quilt of compositions that are emotionally invested tunes with a spiritual core and for those that flinch at the world spiritual, there is a huge chasm that separates the words religious and spiritual. With age or "mileage" comes a centered maturity that allows compositions to be focused with laser like intensity while embracing a more eclectic warmth that has always been characteristic of Spencer's music. This is Jeremy Spencer all grown up and not turning his back on his blues roots but instead pushing musical ideas forward.
With Coventry Blue, Jeremy Spencer embraces a wide range of influences in Django Reinhardt and Mark Knopfler yet all done with a refurbished execution of a highly personal artistic voice.
Tunes such as "Moonshine Slide' dedicated to his favored blue ceramic slide to "Endlessly" which is a Cliff Richards style love song forty years in the making are highlights filled with technique and a truly inspiring emotive quality that seems to have but placed in the musical witness protection program.
Coventry Blue cuts a wide path through blues, country, jazz and perhaps a deceptively subtle indie folk vibe that should seal the deal for fans young and old. A master class from this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Jeremy Spencer has not lost a step!