I love the relentless bassy drive and guitar wail of opener ‘It’s All Gone Wrong’ which if I’m honest is the first ever song I can remember listening to by Savoy Brown, a band who ironically I’ve always loved the name of – imagining it as a kid perhaps being a wonderfully rich colour or an exotic variety of vegetable or animal (it’s not of course, but Wikipedia gives you the real story).
I am being a little disingenuous though: for a band that has been around since 1965 and released 41 albums over the decades – this is I think their 42nd album, I have of course heard them before though I must admit it was in the early 80’s when as a kid I didn’t understand or appreciate Blues Rock. Kim Simmonds has been with them from day one and it’s his guitar and vision that has driven the band through the decades and seen off scores of members along the way and listening to ‘Ain’t Done Yet’ it really is Kim’s guitar that speaks to you on every song.
The quality on show here in 2020 amidst coronavirus leaves me with a rather weighty 42 album problem to revisit because I can’t imagine any fans of guitar driven Blues Rock not finding something to love here so I see some back-catalogue delving ahead!
Take the six minute six second drive down ‘Devil’s Highway’ which follows that cracking opener – it’s a languid lonely drive that has a little Cris Rea, a little Dire Straits in the mix, and it’s a surprisingly smooth ride but it’s that lead guitar that shines above the horizon driving you on.
And there are eight other great songs here that come at you from all angles like the Folkier, slide-infused ‘River on the Rise’; the stuttering barroom blues of ‘Borrowed Time’ and the traditional swing and groove of the title track ‘Ain’t Done Yet’.
When you add the variety that comes with the likes of the stripped back acoustic shuffle of ‘Rockin’ in Louisiana’ versus say the darker, fuzzier Hendrix-touched ‘Soho Girl’ you not only get a nice rocking ride but you end up with an album that reinforces the axiom – Savoy Brown clearly ‘Ain’t Done Yet’…
