There has been talk of the precocious talents of Blake Mills for some years now, with many placing him firmly in the lineage of fellow West Coast wunderkind like Ry Cooder, Warren Zevon and Van Dyke Parks: the kind of musician’s capable of genius in both live and studio settings, and who understands most every genre like the back of their hand.
Already this young (28!) guitar virtuoso has played on records by acts as diverse as Weezer, Conor Oberst and Kid Rock, served as a touring guitar player for Julian Casablancas, Jenny Lewis and Lucinda Williams and recently helmed the production of the second Alabama Shakes album.
Tonight finds Mills in Glasgow for the first time on headline duties, as he and his three-piece band promote the recently released sophomore album, Heigh Ho.
There is a hushed calm upon entering the darkened CCA, as rows of still heads sit in quiet reverence of tonight’s opening act Jesca Hoop.
Her music is truly a transfixing energy to be confronted with, full of wonder and magic, with soaring vocals and simple guitar work that chimes as clear as a bell.
Although Hoop hails from the sunny surrounds of California, her music does not portray the clear skies and heady thrills of the golden state: instead she delivers a far more fragile sound, one which inhabits shadows as opposed to light.
Tom Waits, an early mentor to Hoop, perhaps put it best when he claimed “…her music is like going swimming in a lake at night”.
After much praise and expressed gratitude, Blake Mills is called to the stage by Hoop to lend some achingly beautiful guitar lines to her final song which, without warning or acknowledgement, segues straight into Mills’s own headline performance.
It would be fair to say the two albums under Mills’s belt, 2010’s Break Mirrors and last years Heigh Ho, have been showcases of taste and understatement in which the virtuosity that defined his status as a sideman was stripped away, in order to allow the character and quality of his songs shine through.
Thankfully, the audience is treated to the finer points of both worlds this evening.
‘If I’m Unworthy’ finds Mills faithfully reproducing the staccato riff of the recorded version, however the lead lines which punctuate the song are a little more searing and forceful tonight.
Indeed, the guitar work that one Eric Clapton described as “phenomenal” is let off the chain this evening, as Mills and his band tease out extended instrumental passages and lock into a wide array of grooves that many modern touring ensembles could only dream of.
The material itself, and Mills’ emotionally charged voice, is every bit as dazzling as the instrumentation and it’s clearly apparent that for such a slim body of work, there is an inordinate amount of quality songs.
While the newer songs, like ‘Don’t Tell Our Friends.’ and ‘Three Weeks in Havana’, hit the mark perfectly, it’s the older material, like the achingly honest ‘It’ll All Work Out’ and the uplifting harmonies of ‘Wintersong’ (performed with Hoop), that get the strongest reactions, evidence that much of the crowd have been anticipating this event for some time.
It’s a truly inspiring showing from a still emerging talent that leaves everyone wondering what his next move might be: if it’s an album that blends his fine song craft and immense stage craft together, it may be a game changer.
Words: Brendan Sloan
Photos: Iain McDonagh
