Rest In Blue – Gerry Rafferty

Rest In Blue is the latest album from Gerry Rafferty – and it has been released 10 years after his death.

Thanks to the determination of his daughter, Martha Rafferty, this terrific collection of 14 songs can now be heard, reminding everyone of the singer/songwriter talent the man from Paisley clearly was.

Many of the demos, some dating as far back as 1970, included multiple layers of synths but Martha stripped back the sound as she wanted to highlight his vocal ability.

The album – his 11th – bristles with the raw emotion of blues and rock and, of course folk. Gerry, who founded Stealers Wheel and was in The Humblebums with Billy Connolly before that, includes Wild Mountain Thyme and Dirty Old Town here, and Stuck In the Middle With You, which rounds off this gem of a record plus originals he wrote and was working on.

Many musicians who worked with Gerry throughout his career play on Rest In Blue to create a unique sound and atmosphere, which brought this praise from one critic: “This is no dusty relic, rather it is a timeless treasure.”