“This High Horse could win the National” says Blues in Britain magazine!

Blues in Britain has reviewed (thank you Leon Blanc) High Horse in their June 2022 edition and said:

As a thousand snotty punks, armed with three chords and cheap guitars, lurched gleefully onto the sticky stages of London pubs and clubs at the fag-end of 1976, those already occupying those stages looked warily on. Pub rock met punk, but both quickly realised that neither wanted to be in ELP so all was well. This preamble sets the scene into which High Horse comes a-galloping. The BBC (lawyers on alert) have delivered a shiny, sparky, good time rhythm ‘n’ blues record that (whether intended or otherwise) champions the heyday of The Count Bishops, Roogalator and The Pirates.
Bob Cranham, Ben Keen, Dave Williamson and Barry Cook have, in their words, “been around a bit” and it shows in the tight-as-a-nut playing and accomplished song writing chops: ‘Today Was Made For You And Me’ echoes Nick Lowe, there’s some jazzy touches to ‘Indecision’, the playful ‘Not A Day For Playing The Blues’ rolls out a tight, compact Knopfler-esque solo and ‘Country Cousins’ twists and jumps like a hoedown Hank Wangford. On the covers front, Bukka White’s ‘Fixin’ To Die’ sports an upbeat arrangement and while this BBC re-run of that old Freddy King favourite, ‘Tore Down’ doesn’t attempt to overtake Nine Below Zero’s version, it works perfectly well at a slower lick. ‘Every Time I Roll The Dice’ was recorded by Delbert McClinton but here it’s given a nagging Quo riff.
Splendid stuff: just perfect for a Friday night at Islington’s Hope & Anchor. Fun, fuelled-up and fit for purpose, this High Horse could win the National.
Leon Blanc