Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Temptation is either driven by the absolute desire to possess something that should never be yours, or by the smallest introduction to something that is beautiful, the latter not to own, but to at least explore, to take charge of feeling inadequate of not having seen its sparkling joy descend before your eyes before.

Temptation can either be a curse, or it can bring you great satisfaction, and in the comfort of the smallest snapshot of musical appreciation, The Mike Eldred Trio brought that enticement firmly into the thoughts of the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall audience as they supported Robert Cray with a short but gloriously cool set; one that captured a mood in which the crowd gathered perhaps didn’t know they were about to fall for.

The thought of temptation acting as a gateway to possession is a path that should not be travelled upon, it leads to a gnawing of the soul, a release of demons that convince you that you can own the world; temptation that leads you learning something new of the world and your own passions is to be gently considered with both hands open and looked upon as the start of a blossoming intrigue.

It was perhaps an intrigue that caught the attention as the short set, which included the songs Black Annie, Burning Love, a flowing Americana cover of The Beatles hit, Can’t Buy Me Love, and the strong musical personality of Hunder Dollar Bill, didn’t just drive up to the gates of Liverpool and knock on the door, it smashed through the gates, asked to be excused with charm and then knocked out a dozen walls with the positive sledgehammer of sound.

A short introduction of the bumped fist can stay with you longer it seems than the long-awaited handshake in which neither party have anything to say apart from inflated small talk. It was in this brief but hearty hello that The Mike Eldred Trio made their time in Liverpool worthwhile, and one no doubt that needs to be repeated again soon.

Ian D. Hall