Gameblood is Irish Tattoo artist and singer songwriter Lee Rogers fifth album, that's out in time for his US tour with Foy Vance this May. The album's title Gameblood is a term his father used in reference to the fighting spirit he felt from within and as part of his gypsy heritage.
This opens with the bruised burnished and possibly a little battered folk rock of Everytime as Lee tries to move on, but simply feels like he can't quite do that yet, as the dissolving relationship and other issues unfold to the sound of acoustic and slide guitar and a sold backbeat.
Silent Song is a lot noisier than The Beatles Silence or John Cage's classic 4 33 but is a quiet gentle song of heartache and pain that reminds me of Jackie Leven.
Uneasy Love has heartbeat drumming as this song builds and Lee explains just how he's ended up where he is, as all they feel they have left between them are Mule Variations, as they argue possibly over who gets to keep the vinyl and who gets the cassette as the memories are all that's left behind, this is touching but doesn’t seem to feel too sorry for itself.
The House may well be the last one on the left, or some similar horror film location, as this slow ballad unfolds like it could have been on Ray Lamontagne's debut album. The first single Life And Lies has slowly plucked strings like the pitter patter of the rain falling down as he falls into the water to drown his sorrows and hopefully find a little redemption of the sort John Martyn often dealt in.
Haunted re-works and re-invigorates a very tired old Fleetwood Mac song as thankfully he isn't interested in the songs your singing, but instead is just worried by just how Haunted he is by his memories of you and everything you meant to him, before you left him all alone to live with his own demons.
Homeward Bound is a far darker song than the Simon & Garfunkel standard, as this is a plea to ask you to find your way back to him and his home from across the oceans and lands that now separate you, as he still holds a torch for you as the guitar splinters and the song breaks down like their relationship obviously did.
Won't Find Me is a gentle and plaintive caress for the soul with very sparse instrumentation and not a note wasted as he sends another message to that lost loved one.
Fools Gold is not a baggy classic thankfully, as this slow ruminative song with some cool reasonably elastic bass unfurls along with Lee's hopes and dreams for what's to come as it gently reminds me of Drive by The Cars.
Barefoot In The Basement is a nice gentle closing song that almost feels like a lullaby as Lee's heartfelt vocals tell us one more story of heartbreak.
Find out more at https://www.leerogers.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/LRogersMusic/
