WIRELESS SET (2016)

1    Vampire
2    Sweatshop
3    I Need A Holiday
4    It’s For You
5    Harlem Nocturne
6    Queen Bee
7    Above The Ridge
8    Nogoum El-Leil
9    Can’t Be Satisfied
10   Zombie On The Rocks
11    More Than Two Steps
12    Island Bridge

Wireless Set brims with guitar-laden numbers that attest to an enduring music career originating in the 1960s. Influences from the decades since the 60s – and before – are evident in the guitarist’s latest solo studio album
after the jazzy, blues-infused, all-instrumental Slideshow (2006). Wireless Set is a seriously eclectic affair with a rockier vibe than its predecessor and with an equal mix of instrumentals and songs.

Featured Musicians:
Noel Bridgeman, John Quearney, Fran Byrne, Eamon Murray, Trevor Knight, James Delaney, Charlie Hart, Les Morgan, Phil Scragg, Frank Mead, Tommy Moore, Ritchie Buckley, Rory Boyle, Garvan Gallagher, Sean O’Reilly, Kevin Malone.

© Blue Navigator 2016

‘One of the best albums I’ve heard in recent times’  Niall Toner, RTE Radio 2
‘A very, very fine guitarist… lovely playing on ‘Harlem Nocturne’  Paul Jones, BBC Radio 2

“This 12 track set is split evenly between vocals and instrumentals (though they are mixed up in the track listing). The former comprises the opening track with its New Orleans-filtered-through-Nick Lowe sound, the political ‘Sweat Shop’, the soul-tinged country-rock of Dan Penn’s ‘ I Need A Holiday’, a country-tinged rendering of Taj Mahal’s beautiful acoustic blues ‘Queen Bee’, an affectionate tribute to Muddy Waters on ‘Can’t Be Satisfied’ and a slow, soul-tinged original ballad, ‘More Than Two Steps’, a good vehicle for Ed’s light but convincing voice. ‘It’s For You’ is the first instrumental of the set, fine slide guitar over a vaguely tango-style backing that sounds like it should be on a vintage 78, followed by an updating of buzzsaw saxist Earl Bostic’s hit, ‘Harlem Nocturne’‘Above The Ridge’ seems to flit between Scottish music and the African blues sound — very successfully — and the multi-talented Syrian Farid Al-Atrash’s ‘Nogoum EI-Leil’ reflects Moorish Spain. ‘Zombie On The Rocks’ is moody, slide-laden and a little spooky, and this very fine album closes out with the lush ‘Island Bridge’, with just a hint of Dave Gilmour.”
Blues in Britain, November 2016

“Audiophiles who appreciate variety and musicianship should make space on their shelves for this eclectic and deeply satisfying CD. Deane, a Dublin-born guitarist, has been kicking around as a session player and sometime front-man since the 1960s, so he must be pushing 70. Still, his musical intelligence ranges over a variety of styles: every cut on this album feels fresh and innovative. And Deane’s voice somehow sounds like that of a teenager. Some of the cuts have a carefree, radio-friendly feel. Deane’s age notwithstanding, I Need a Holiday, written by Dan Penn and Chuck Prophet, should be a hit today – people should blast it out as they cruise in their convertibles with the tops down. Just feel-good stuff. The blues are here, too, in the form of covers of Muddy Waters’ I Can’t Be Satisfied and Taj Mahal’s Queen Bee.
Half of the 12 songs on the album are instrumentals, and Deane’s impeccable musicianship shines – from tasty slide to fluidly picked leads to wonderful chord changes. (He is, by the way, one of those weirdos who plays the guitar left-handed and upside-down – weirdos whose number also included the great guitarist Albert King). It’s For You, with its flamenco feel, was influenced, Deane says, both by Robert Johnson and Francisco Tarrega, a Spanish classical guitarist and composer who died more than a century ago. And Nick Lowe, with whom Deane toured in the 1990s, probably influenced the opening cut, Vampire. The instrumental Harlem Nocturne, sounds bluesy but eerie. And Deane describes the mellow closing track, an instrumental in which his relaxed yet emotive guitar ranges over a rich backdrop of instruments, as ‘the nearest I’ve managed to get to playing with a string orchestra’.
Always impeccable, always fresh, always innovative, this is a CD you’ll return to over the years. This one will stand the test of time.”
M.D. Spenser