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Thirty Eight years into their career, Foghat is still on the road and in the recording studio. Original members and guitarists Dave Peverett and Rod Price have passed away, but drummer Roger Earl and a rotating cast of musicians have carried on. Today he is joined by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Charlie Huhn, who has played with Ted Nugent and Humble Pie, lead guitarist Bryan Bassett of Wild Cherry and Molly Hatchett, and bassist Craig MacGregor, who has been a member of the group on four separate occasions. MacGregor was not available for the recording of this album, so former member Jeff Howell returned to provide the bass work.
Last Train Home is, for the most part, a rocking blues album. While they may be best known for such hard rock hits as “Slow Ride,” “Fool For The City,” and “Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was A Fool),” they have always been rooted in the blues, and so it was not a big stretch to release an album which reflects that sound.
The good news is it’s an excellent album. It retains a hard edge which should please their fans, but their immersion in the blues should gain them new ones. Roger Earl was a member of the British blues band Savoy Brown before he helped form Foghat and the album reflects that influence.
They combine original compositions with some classic blues songs. The slow blues tune, “So Many Roads, So Many Trains” by Otis Rush, “Shake Your Money Maker” and “It Hurts Me Too” by Elmore James, Muddy Waters’s “Louisiana Blues,” and the Willie Dixon medley “Rollin’ & Tumblin’/You Need Love” are modernized yet retain a connection to the originals.
The album's best track may be their original composition “Born For The Road.” Written by the four group members, it is the first track and Bassett's and Huhn's combined guitar attack launches the album with a thunderous performance.
A highlight is the appearance by Eddie “Bluesman” Kirkland. He is one of the last blues masters. He was the second guitarist for John Lee Hooker from 1949-1962 and has gone on to a stellar solo career. Now pushing 87, he is still on the road. He composed and performed on the album's final two tracks, “In My Dreams” and “Good Good Day.”
Last Train Home finds Foghat alive and well in 2010 and returning to their roots. It is hopefully a career direction they will continue to explore in the future.
