Wino – Adrift (Exile On Mainstream/E1)

Making music as vital now as when he was first carving out his legend in the early 80s, Scott Weinrich, AKA Wino, is a pioneer in the heavy rock underground, a venerable trendsetter with various bands, including the Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, St. Vitus, the Hidden Hand, Place of Skulls and Shrinebuilder. His second solo record, Adrift finds Wino working without a band for the first time. Armed with just his guitars, Wino lays himself and his vision out as nakedly as possible – no thundering rhythm section, no co-vocalist, just the man, his fingers, six strings and his exposed heart. (And engineer (Ray Tilkens on a couple of solos.) Which isn’t to say Adrift is a folk record, mind you. While Wino certainly shows respect for the tradition of Townes Van Zandt and Woody Guthrie, an awful lot of these riffs would translate quite nicely to a Gibson SG cranked to fifteen, and Wino isn’t shy to let rip with a distorted solo or two (or three) when moved to do so. “Old & Alone,” “Whatever” and the title track stick to the troubadour mode, but “Shot in the Head” (pulled from the Savoy Brown catalog), “Hold On Love” and “Mala Suerte” mix acoustic and electric axes for a heady brew of psychedelic folk rock. He also exhibits a skill for instrumentals, from the totally acoustic “Suzanes Song” to the e-bow showcase “O.B.E.” Wino isn’t afraid to expose his nerves, singing about his spiritual quest, the passage of time and the aging rocker’s place in the world. But ultimately it’s the defiance of “Green Speed” and “I Don’t Care” and his choice of cover tune – Motörhead‘s “Iron Horse/Born to Lose” – that speaks loudest as to what truths his soul is willing to bare.

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