Eric Burdon
never stopped working but he did effectively disappear, falling away from the spotlight sometime before
the Animals
were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He kept touring, kept recording, but was decidedly underneath the radar until
Bruce Springsteen
made him a centerpiece of his 2012 South by Southwest keynote address, inviting the veteran rocker to share the stage with him later that night. Suddenly,
Burdon
was pushed into the spotlight and he capitalized upon his raised profile, cutting a quick and dirty indie EP with Cincinnati rockers
the Greenhornes
and then re-upping with
Abkco
(home of the
Animals
catalog) for 2013's
'Til Your River Runs Dry
, his first high-profile record in eons and his first album of largely original material since 2004. At this late stage,
isn't seeking reinvention -- he sticks to his basics, including two salutes to his hero
Bo Diddley
(one a cover; one a tribute) -- but he doesn't sound stale, either. He's engaging in the present by relying on his tradition, reviving the menacing minor-key rock of
, touching upon a bit of
War
's multi-cultural funk, indulging his love of the blues, all while reflecting on mortality, waging a bit of social protest, recognizing that "Old Habits Die Hard," resisting the temptation to go gently into that good night.
doesn't sound like a young man but he does sound invigorated, sometimes singing so passionately he teeters on the edge of self-parody, but that's the appeal of
:
pours everything into this album, as if he realizes this is his last best shot to get the credit he's due. And, against all odds, he succeeds with this tough, flinty, proudly old-fashioned rock & roll album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine