January 10th, 2014 - More River Ale Than God

Good afternoon!  The Meista here with something a little more "mellow" than usual, but definitely of high caliber and depth, both in ale and in musicianship.  Today I'm pairing Jack Bruce's "More Jack Than God" and a Deschutes River Ale from Deschutes Brewing Company!  Oh, and this one goes out to my buddy Rick... thanks for the beer my friend!!  Cheers!!

Crisp, clean, and oh so refreshing, the Deschutes River Ale from Deschutes Brewing Company is a mellow, very sessionable American Blonde Ale.  With ribbons of bubbles, the Deschutes River Ale pours a very hazy golden-orange amber with a half-finger white head that leaves trace lacing.  The nose is definitely mellow, but citrus and light malts are still prevalent.  There are soft notes of woodsy pine, tart grapefruit, and caramel.  Incredibly drinkable, the mouthfeel is somewhat sharp from the high carbonation, but it goes down easy and clean.  The flavor is like the nose, mellow, but tasty and solid.  There are floral citrus notes of orange, grapefruit and lemon, along with sweeter, maltier notes.  There is a slight bitterness in the finish.  All-in-all, the  Deschutes River Ale is a great sessions pale ale that works wonderfully with the jazzy grooves of "More Jack Than God"!

Released in 2003 and produced by jazz music impresario, record producer and percussionist Kip Hanrahan, "More Jack Than God" is Jack Bruce's 13th solo studio album.  Combining blues, rock, and Cuban and American jazz, this album is wonderfully rich in texture, lyricism, and execution.  Along with the amazing bass and vocal master, Mr. Bruce (lead vocals, bass, bass pedals, digital drums, acoustic guitar, piano, synthesizer, and Hammond organ), a wonderful group of musicians took part in the production of this album including: "Burnin'" Veron Reid (Living Colour) on electric guitar, Bernie Worrell (Parliament-Funkadelic) on Hammond organ and backing vocals, Godfrey Townsend on acoustic guitar, Richie Flores on conga and backing vocals, Horacio "El Negro" Hernández on drums and backing vocals, Robby Ameen on drums, and Malcolm Bruce on guitar and piano.  And Bruce was of course joined by long-time collaborator (since Cream in 1966), the lyricist Pete Brown.  Along with 3 reimagined/reformatted Cream covers ("We're Going Wrong," "I Feel Free," and "Politician"), Bruce delivers a full album of wonderfully brilliant original tracks, each with its own distinct voice and feel... simply perfect music!!  The full track list includes:

1. "So They Invented Race" (Bruce, Hanrahan)
2. "Follow the Fire" (Brown, Bruce)
3. "Kelly's Blues" (Brown, Bruce)
4. "We're Going Wrong" (Bruce)
5. "Bizniz" (Brown, Bruce)
6. "Progress" (Brown, Bruce)
7. "I Feel Free" (Brown, Bruce)
8. "Ricin (Daylight Gathering)" (Bruce, Hanrahan)
9. "The Night That Once Was Mine" (Brown, Bruce)
10. "Milonga Too" (Bruce, Hanrahan)
11. "Cold Island (For Cozy Powell)" (Brown, Bruce)
12. "Uh, Oh!" (Bruce, Hanrahan)
13. "Politician" (Brown, Bruce)
14. "Lost in the City (jam mix)" (Bruce, Hanrahan)

Cheers!!