It has been close to a year since James Muller released his latest album, Kaboom, and more than two years since he recorded it. But the recording is so strong – and Muller so impressive – that it was worth celebrating his first Melbourne show in almost 18 months with a belated album launch.
The Sydney-based guitarist recorded Kaboom in New York (with American musicians Bill Stewart and Matt Penman) after winning the prestigious Freedman Fellowship in 2004. Sunday’s concert at Bennetts Lane featured Muller’s Australian trio (Muller, bassist Brett Hirst and drummer Tim Firth), but the experience was no less exciting than the remarkable New York session. Indeed, no matter how thrilling his studio accompanists may be, nothing beats the experience of seeing Muller play live.
Most of the pieces we heard on Sunday were originals by Muller, whose writing – like his playing – bubbles with vitality. He plays with an intensity that never tips over into aggression, his tone warmly inviting even as he bites into a line with blazing vigour. Fragments of blues, rock and country grit swirl around in his solos, which can veer from lush sweetness to hard-core grunge in the blink of an eye.
Read the full review on The Age website.
