Although he’s been wielding the ax for Deep Purple for 16 years, Steve Morse has maintained his own instrumental band since 1984. The opportunity to make albums away from the grind of Purple offers Morse a much-needed outlet, perpetuated by a deep wellspring of styles and disciplines. Indeed, Morse’s day job is adding thunder to an established hard rock entity; the Steve Morse Band allows the guitarist to reach beyond the idiom, dipping his wick into rock, jazz, folk, country, Celtic, classical and anything else he’s inclined to tackle. Out Standing In Their Field, the 12th album from the Steve Morse Band, is a virtual showcase of all the above.
Along with bassist Dave La Rue and drummer Van Romaine, who have been manning the SMB engine room since 1991’s Southern Steel, Morse gets the record off to a heavy start with the all-encompassing “Name Dropping.” Bolstered by a chunky, ascending riff, this is the band in all their glory — a tightfisted power trio with a kinetic chemistry. “Brink Of The Edge” has a similar feel, though it eases up for some light interludes around the corners. “Here And Now And Then” is like gliding through space — easier and smooth with a few of Morse’s eloquent dashes to give it wings.
“Relentless Encroachment” And “More To the Point” pile on more slabs of edgy guitar chords, while the slap-happy, country-driven “John Deere Letter” brings Morse back to his Dixie Dregs roots. A brief run over the acoustic sets the stage for the epic “Flight Of The Osprey,” a stirring tour de force that serves as a melting pot for the band’s creative juices and individual talents. “Baroque N’ Dreams” is an emotive classical piece that has Morse and La Rue chasing the dragon and aligning the cosmos in a cloak of splendor and carelessness. This one might even impress the real critics. If nothing else, the live closer, “Rising Power,” is a prime example of how organic and engrossing the band is on stage. Which is to say that Out Standing In Their Field may have it covered in more fields than you can throw a guitar pick at it.
~ Shawn Perry
