Out of My Tree

Out of My Tree is the first solo album, capturing Sykes's slashing guitar and soulful voice with an intensity close to a live band take. Released in 1995 after Blue Murder's break-up, under a Mercury deal centered on Japan. The billing is simply “Sykes.” Marco Mendoza and Tommy O'Steen carry over from the last record, and Sykes handles the writing, arranging and production alone. The sleeve is by Jim Fitzpatrick, familiar from Thin Lizzy. He has said he wanted to get away from band politics and make it his own way without compromise — a record on which he shouldered not just the guitars but the singing and some of the bass himself, like a declaration of independence. The sound isn't over-tidied; it values the momentum of the moment when the playing collides. Within hard rock built on a blues core, the melody is strong and the guitar always lifts the song. From the opener “Soul Stealer” to the gentle closing “Sleep On,” an unleashed freedom runs throughout. It's also a record from a turbulent period in his personal life, and that texture seeps into the singing. Sounding both technique and instinct naturally — a record that's very much Sykes.