Jeremy Spencer’s claim to fame is that he was one of the first guitarists in the band Fleetwood Mac. His specialty is the slide guitar, and despite parting ways with Fleetwood Mac after a short stint from 1967-1971 Spencer continued to perform and record music.

I was never the greatest Fleetwood Mac fan nor have I ventured into any of the other outlets Spencer has used for making music over the years. Going into this album, Bend In The Road, I had no idea what to expect. I was fortunate enough to find myself listening to and enjoying an album of fine works, with, of course, a bit of give or take along the way.

Bend In The Road is a mash up of blues, country, gospel, pop, and contemporary rock. Spencer’s trademark slide guitar sound is wonderful and his backing band does a fine job of keeping pace and delivering a great match up note for note with Spencer’s expert guitar playing. You can tell that music is his passion, if the fact that he’s been playing for several decades was lost on you, and the guitar playing simply comes natural to him. His range is excellent, technique flawless. So what do I have to complain about you may wonder.

The honest truth is, Jeremy Spencer’s voice is an acquired taste. Homesick sounds great but for some reason as the album goes on and the music ventures out it just seems like the strength isn’t there. It took me about three or four spins to get used to his voice and after that I didn’t even take notice. It reminded me a bit of Roy Orbison in a way. Soft but acrobatic as it attempts to press against it’s own limitations, succeeding mostly, but with some noticeable hiccups. Still, Bend In The Road is an overall fantastic album that, if given the proper exposure, should put Spencer on everyone’s radar once again. Here’s hoping. Enjoy.