Peter Green Splinter Group

Peter Green (the Green Manalishi) is doing rather well in his second career. And although many claim that today's Peter Green is a shadow of the man who once ruled the British blues royalty from 1967 to '70, Time Traders is another leap forward in his comeback. From Peter B's and Mayall's Bluesbreakers to the original Fleetwood Mac, Greeny broke the mould for guitar worshippers, making British blues history until he disappeared in the '70s amidst rumours of religious cults, homelessness and worse. Friend Nigel Watson offered the reclusive Green safe haven in 1997 to stage a comeback at his own speed, giving birth to Peter Green's Splinter Group. Five albums on, flashes of brilliance are intermingled with mellow, basic blues tracks that feature various members of the band. Yet Green's trademarked raspy vocals remain the perfect accompaniment to the fluid, haunting guitar style that once earned him the lofty title of "the greatest white blues guitarist ever." Time Traders is a mixed bag, but cuts including the seductively commercial (if not ironic!) "Real World," "Wild Dogs" and a revisited Mac song, "Underway" (with Pink Floyd's Snowy White guesting), are vintage Green. There's no mistaking, or duplicating, his signature guitar sound, and his vocals are as mournful as ever. Yet the Splinter Group's "mix and match" approach sometimes dilutes the full effect. A good fix, nonetheless.