Review Summary: ...to Kingdom Come
The only thing certain in life is death, and for some it's more of a pressing concern than others. Wilko Johnson is a man who's death is imminent; already surpassing his life expectancy for his terminal cancer, every day is but another blessing for the former Dr. Feelgood guitarist. Whether this has renewed him with a sense of vigor, urgency or lust for life remains to be seen, but if
Going Back Home is anything to go by it implies he's already dealt with the fact that he's not going to be alive soon and that he doesn't care about it either. With Daltrey in tow, Johnson delivers wondering and non-embittered takes on former Dr. Feelgood standards, with "Ice on the Motorway" and "Some Kind of Hero" crunching along with Johnson's signature jagged guitar tone harshening the blow. Track after track, the mans plowing style of RnB rarely lets up- when it does, it delivers, namely on the careful "Turned 21" and Bob Dylan cover "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window". Underpinning it all is Daltrey, shouting and screaming like he did on
Who's Next and making a far more concerned effort than ever; highly impressive considering he's at the ripe old age of 70. Johnson might not die this week, he might not die for another year, but he's already created one of Rock & Roll's finest epitaphs in preparation for his inevitable farewell.
