SEVEN MOONS

Personnel: Robin Trower (vocals, guitar); Jack Bruce (vocals, bass guitar); Gary Husband (drums). Jack Bruce must have enjoyed his 2005 get-together with Cream so much that, when Clapton and Baker were unwilling to continue the collaboration, he rang up Robin Trower to renew the brief power trio fling they had in the mid-'80s. The Trower-Bruce pairing had released only two albums, B.L.T. and Truce, and was dormant since 1982, so this 2007 reunion was somewhat of a continuation of the project, albeit one separated by a quarter century. The results impressively continue where Truce left off, as Bruce brings his distinctive croon/moan to bluesy, riff-oriented tunes dominated by Trower's silvery guitar runs. Gary Husband fills the drum slot adequately if inconspicuously, but his contributions are mixed so far under Bruce's vocals and Trower's guitar that they are secondary. The previous two releases called in Trower's old Procol Harum lyricist Keith Reid and Bruce collaborator Peter Brown to write the words, but Bruce and Trower pen these 11 songs without outside assistance. Most tunes such as "Lives of Clay," a barely concealed rewrite of Cream's "Politician" lick, revisit familiar territory, and clearly these guys are not out to expand any boundaries. Bruce, who has had serious medical problems since they last recorded, sounds terrific -- strong and vibrant, even if a few tunes such as the minor-key ballad "I'm Home" seem somewhat clunky. This disc's "So Far to Yesterday" recalls Trower's "Twice Removed from Yesterday" both in its title and general mood. The yin/yang pairing keeps Bruce's more oblique jazz influences in check and does the same for Trower's space rock instincts, yielding a throwback that fans of both artists' previous work should enjoy. Trower's patented Hendrix-styled guitar adds a psychedelic edge to songs that generally stick to a midtempo lope and never blast out with Cream's insistent power, which can be somewhat frustrating to anyone who would like to hear these guys let loose. Still, there are enough strong moments on Seven Moons to recommend it, especially to those who enjoyed the duo's previous work 25 years ago. ~ Hal Horowitz