Lee Rogers: “Gameblood” (2022) CD Review

Lee Rogers is a singer and songwriter from Carrickfergus, a town in Northern Ireland. He released his first official album more than fifteen years ago, Drawing Clocks, and followed it with Citizen: General several years later. There were also a couple of demo EPs, but for a while Lee Rogers focused on another of his passions, that of a tattoo artist. But in 2020, he started releasing new music, including a strangely haunting rendition of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.” An EP titled Dark Notions soon followed. And now he is releasing a new full-length album, Gameblood, which features all original material, written or co-written by Lee Rogers. Joining him on this release are Paddy Lavin on drums; Simon Francis on bass; Colm McClean on guitar and pedal steel; and Gareth Dunlop on guitar, piano, synths, percussion and backing vocals. The striking album cover artwork is by Mark Reihill, and looks like it comes from a graphic novel about a troubled hero, or antihero, which is fitting for some of this disc’s tracks.

Lee Rogers opens the album with “Everytime,” an interesting love song about his wife. “And I was searching everywhere/I was looking for no other/Every time I move with you/Every time I’m wanting you/Every time I talk to you/Every time I run to you.” I am lucky to have that special person in my life who helps calm me when things seem mad, and that’s what this song is about, acknowledging that person and how fortunate he is to have her in his life. “For the rest of my life/For the rest of my life/For the rest of my life,” he sings at the end. When I say that to my girlfriend, she playfully teases me, “We’ll see.” That of course makes me even crazier about her. This song has something of a pop sound and feel. It is followed by “Silent Song,” which has a gentler folk vibe as it begins, but soon on takes on some pop elements too. “The road to heaven runs through hell/You gotta get lost to find yourself/And a heart’s gotta break/For love to make its way in and out.” This one was written by Lee Rogers, Gareth Dunlop and Patrick Lavin.

“Uneasy Love” is a powerful song. I love that moment when it kicks in. The lyrics contain a reference to Tom Waits’ Mule Variations, an album that came out in 1999: “And all we had was Mule Variations/Her undying patience/Uneasy love/And all I have now are crystalline memories of her/Her frequencies deep within me stir/Like taking every drug.” That’s followed by “The House,” which also grabs me, but in a different way. There is a strange, undeniable beauty to this song, especially in the vocals, as the track begins, and it is his voice that pulls me in. “There is a house at the end of the road/It holds stories that no one else knows/Dreams, hopes and coal smoke/Looks like there’s nobody home.” This is one of my personal favorite tracks, and I love it more each time I listen to it. That in turn is followed by another of the disc’s highlights, “Life And Lies.” Its opening lines are ones most people can relate to, particularly in these strange days we find ourselves in: “I was feeling lonely/Feeling low/This booze just isn’t working/But it got me long ago.” We are living in dark times, no question about it, but we can still find warmth and beauty in the affections of that special someone, in sharing a drink with him or her. And how’s this for an honest line: “And I’ll make a toast to this life and its lies.” I also love these lines: “She said I think I’ll have a whiskey/So we both will taste the same.”

In “Haunted,” Lee Rogers sings, “Why did you leave me here/In a place where you’re not near/Where I can’t follow you/I see you in these halls/Your voice is in the walls/I hear you screaming let me in/I’m haunted, haunted by you.” And we can hear it in his voice, the truth of it. His delivery is honest and captivating. That’s followed by “Homeward Bound,” another interesting song. The second line is “That’s not my blood upon the table.” Lee Rogers allows a pause after that, letting that image sink in, and giving us a moment to wonder what is happening, all while that steady drum beat continues. There is something gentle in his delivery here. “And the world keeps turning/I am lost and found/But the fire’s still burning/This ship is homeward bound.” This is yet another of the disc’s highlights.

“Won’t Find Me” is a pretty song. “You won’t find me anywhere but here/No other time or place/No other memory but here.” I love the way this one gently holds us. It feels like we and the song together could drift away into sweet, painless eternity or oblivion. That’s followed by “Fool’s Gold.” This one has a brighter, more cheerful pop sound. “January already/Where does the time go/And I can hear a far-off crowd/Calling out my name/I’ve never seen the faces/The voice is still the same.” Lee Rogers wraps up this album with a beautiful song, “Barefoot In The Basement,” a song addressing loss. It was co-written by Foy Vance, who also joins Lee Rogers on vocals. Nathan O’Regan also provides some backing vocals. This song offers a comforting sound and image. “Heaven is a million different places/You are home, barefoot in the basement now.”

CD Track List

1. Everytime
2. Silent Song
3. Uneasy Love
4. The House
5. Life And Lies
6. Haunted
7. Homeward Bound
8. Won’t Find Me
9. Fool’s Gold
10. Barefoot In The Basement

Gameblood is scheduled to be released on May 13, 2022.