***3/4. A nice, mature album from Rod the Mod

"A Spanner In The Works" opens with an exquisitely melodic cover of Chris Rea's "Windy Town" which shows that Rod Stewart is still one of the finest interpreters of songs in the business.



His characteristic voice has lost none of its effectiveness, and this varied set of covers and originals recalls his glory days and classic albums like "Gasoline Alley" and "Every Picture Tells A Story"...it's not as good as those two, but it's still better than most of what Stewart has put out since the 70s.

Rod Stewart moves effortlessly between pop-rock ("Leave Virginia Alone"), traditional folk (a lovely "Purple Heather"), and material by Tom Waits (the gritty "Hang On St Christopher"), and Bob Dylan ("Sweetheart Like You").

Other highlights include a competent rendition of Sam & Dave's "Soothe Me", and the R&B-tribute "Muddy, Sam And Otis" (Waters, Cooke, and Redding, that is).



There are a few too many minor songs, and cutting "Spanner" down to eight or ten songs would only have made it better. But there are still plenty of highlights along the way, and this warm, low-key record is very easy to like.

Unappreciated

This is by far his most unappreciated work, yet one of his best. A bridge between and rock of youth and the mellowness of American Songbooks. It is unique, it is honest and it is meaningful. The songs come from the heart and are best with a soulmate, a bottle of wine and quiet evening. I never fully appreciated Rod Stewart until I heard this.

Something for everyone!!

This is one of Rod Stewart's finest recordings in years. With the possible exception of "Unplugged ... and seated", this collection of tunes is the nearest Roderick has come to matching the artistry of his early efforts, like "Every Picture Tells a Story" and "Gasoline Alley".

There is truly something for everyone on this record. If you are into hard rock, then check out "Delicious", Rod's compositional collaboration with ex-Duranie Andy Taylor (who previously teamed up with Rod to produce the fine "Out of Order"). Mr. Taylor also guests on "Soothe Me", the old Sam Cooke soul classic turned hard-rockin' guitar-fest. A slightly more bluesy guitar-driven big-band romp is to be had with "Hang on St. Christopher", something one can just tell Rod wanted to record, not because it has any potential whatsoever to be a hit single, but rather because it is simply a great, if somewhat radio-unfriendly, tune. Rounding out the up-tempo catagory, albeit in a slightly more mellow, acoustic vein, is "Leave Virginia Alone", a Tom Petty-penned gem that allows Rod to shine, just like he did in the old days.

There are many ballads on this record, yet they do not repeat one another or sound even remotely alike. "This", a truly touching romantic number, is sharply contrasted with the likes of "Windy Town", a tune about touring, and "Sweetheart Like You", a remake of the Bob Dylan classic. On the latter tune in particular do we see Rod's ability to truly inhabit a song, becoming the protagonist completely, a man desperate to believe that his woman is far better than her surroundings, even though he knows that she is only slightly out of place.

Be sure to check out the Rod-penned tune "Muddy, Sam and Otis", which give us an insight into the music that inspired Rod to dream of becoming a great soul singer (which he is, blue eyes and all). Not only does Rod show us how these great soul men inspired him, but the song also functions as a lament for an era of music that is clearly behind us now.

Curiously, the album closes with a lovely ballad called "Purple Heather". Why do I say curiously? Because the song is credited as being a Rod Stewart composition, when anyone even remotely familiar with either Irish or Scottish folk music will realize that this tune has been around for quite some time. Even if the song isn't Rod's, the arrangement is, and this presentation works quite well.

All in all, there is something for everyone on this album. Song for song, the quality is much better than "Vagabond Heart", which, although it had a few moments of strength, was a bit uneven in terms of compositional quality. Like the rest of Rod's better albums, this is a collection of Rod's originals, a few covers, and some great tunes penned by Rod's contemporaries. If you like Rod, you'll love "A Spanner in the Works".