Kris Dollimore: No Ghosts In This House

A blues roots masterclass.

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Dollimore’s axeman-for-hire credentials have served him well over the last 25 years, initially as part of tough nut R&B merchants The Godfathers, but also in the employ of The Damned, Johnny Thunders, Adam Ant and Del Amitri.

On his third solo album, he returns to his first love, fashioning a collection of mostly acoustic blues that perfectly shows off the delicacy and dexterity of his guitar playing.

The opening brace of Where I Belong and Worry drip with delta authenticity – Dollimore’s taut slide moves dancing around on the former, a vocal growl owing a debt to John Hiatt, but with the more plaintive voice of Robert Plant on the latter.

Elsewhere, he’s in more frivolous mood on the jaunty ragtime of West Coast Blues and explores Latino motifs on Dias De Los Meurtos, with the same sense of space and atmosphere as Ry Cooder.

Terry Staunton was a senior editor at NME for ten years before joined the founding editorial team of Uncut. Now freelance, specialising in music, film and television, his work has appeared in Classic Rock, The Times, Vox, Jack, Record Collector, Creem, The Village Voice, Hot Press, Sour Mash, Get Rhythm, Uncut DVD, When Saturday Comes, DVD World, Radio Times and on the website Music365.