Ian McLagan's "Never Say Never"

Ian McLagan & The Bump Band’s 2009 release "Never Say Never" (00:02:59 Records) is a short ten track love note to his late wife Kim. McLagan, a founding member of “The Faces” and “Small Faces”, has backed everyone from Dylan to Springsteen on keyboards as a session musician over the past thirty years. Ian’s solo career began with two rocking discs with a definite “Faces” feel with “Troublemaker” (1979) and “Bump In The Night” (1980). A move to Austin in 1994 revitalized his solo career and “Never Say Never” is his sixth Texas based disc. Ian McLagan isn’t exactly a household name unless you are into reading liner notes but alt country fans are probably familiar with his cover of “Wedding Day” on “Por Vida: A Salute To The Songs Of Alejandro Escovedo”. You can still hear the boozy rock and roll swagger of the Faces on “Little Black Number”, “I Will Follow” and “I’m Hot, You’re Cool”. “Never Say Never” and “When the Crying is Over”, with Patti Griffin on background vocals, bookend the disc with two slower heartfelt tracks as Ian sings about his heartbreaking loss with more honesty and soul than you’ll hear on a season of “American Idol”. Several tracks from "Never Say Never", including the title track can be heard on Mac's MySpaceMusic page. Don't blame me if you end up dropping a tear or two in your beer listening to "Never Say Never". You've been warned! I don't think Ian would want to leave his listeners in a permanent funk so here's a link to some of Mac's favorite jokes he's collected over the years (that some sensitive souls might find offensive). You've been warned! Enjoy.