16 May 2010
By Lyov
In Blues, Rock
Unplugged
Eric Clapton’s live performance on MTV’s strip-down-the-rockers show allowed the heavily-blues-influenced guitarist a chance to show off another, underrated side of his talent–his voice.
It’s especially interesting to hear Clapton in an acoustic setting, because he made his mark as one of the early proponents of high-decibel rock. Here, sorting through numerous blues standards by the likes of Robert Johnson and Leadbelly, Clapton gives a lesson in technique, style and musical passion. His own, newer material allows him to stretch and play, while the heavily-grooved, slowed-down remake of his classic “Layla” is the essential standout. “Tears In Heaven,” a moving tribute to his son’s passing, is emotionally raw, yet stylistically smooth–a difficult task to achieve....
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Blues, blues rock, classic rock, Eric Clapton, guitar, Rock, Unplugged
13 March 2010
By Lyov
In Blues, Jazz
Simplified
The UK pop/soul act Simply Red maintained a fairly low profile in the United States during the first few years of the 21st century, but that changed with the 2005 release of SIMPLIFIED. Issued on the Verve Forecast imprint, the album presents vocalist Mick Hucknall and company easing into new arrangements of their most well-known songs, including “Holding Back the Years,” which gets a gentle, flamenco-inflected rendition. Hucknall’s distinctive voice is in fine form here, and though the red-haired frontman unveils a more subdued approach on some tunes, he showcases his passionate singing on a number of tracks, most notably the previously unreleased single “Perfect Love,” which coasts along on Cuban-influenced rhythms and a celebratory Santana-like vibe....
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80s, Blues, blues rock, british, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Simplified, Simply Red, Soul
04 March 2010
By Lyov
In Blues, Jazz
Grip Of The Blues
One of Finland’s brightest musical talents, this is Lyytinen’s boldest, freshest and most varied effort yet. She features a wider range of song styles than ever before. To do this, she enlisted the help of the musicians who know her best – here she is accompanied by her own road band after a pair of CDs she recorded with session players. She mixes hard-edged blues with modern R&B and also showcases her knack for delicate, poppy melodies....
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Blues, blues rock, Erja Lyytinen, female vocalists, finnish, Grip Of The Blues, guitar
01 March 2010
By Lyov
In Blues, Jazz
Deuces Wild
You can’t move an inch without tripping over a superstar on this album of celebrity duets. On DEUCES WILD, B. B. looks beyond the blues world to collaborate with such unlikely folks as Willie Nelson, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, and even rapper Heavy D. On newly recorded versions of classic B.B. numbers such as “The Thrill Is Gone” (with Tracy Chapman) and “Paying The Cost To Be The Boss” (with the Rolling Stones), the legendary blues guitarslinger reinvents his own material to accommodate his famous pals, whose respect for King and enthusiasm for this project are apparent on each track. Most effective are the tunes that find B.B. paired up with veteran blues belters like Joe Cocker (“Dangerous Mood”) and Van Morrison (“If You Love Me”)....
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B.B. King, Blues, blues rock, classic rock, Deuces Wild, guitar, Jazz
16 January 2010
By Lyov
In Blues, Pop
Heart & Soul
While Rod Stewart was busy chasing American songbook classics up the charts in Cole Porter drag, 60′s Brit-soul colleague Joe Cocker pursued a more contemporary and compelling set of standards. The material here stretches from the soulful American r&b hits that first inspired the gritty-voiced singer to their modern progeny, emotive ballads like REM’s “Everybody Hurts” and the compelling studio/live takes of U2′s “One” that bookend the album. Cocker revisits old inspirations Lennon (“Jealous Guy” recast as warm, Caribbean-rhythmed r&b) and McCartney (a grand, if less inspired “Maybe I’m Amazed”), but it’s on more vintage material like “Chain of Fools” and Lieber-Stoller’s “I Keep Forgetting” and “I (Who Have Nothing)” that Cocker truly invests his considerable interpretative instincts. Jeff Beck solos with tasteful, typically elastic lyricism on the latter, while fellow ax icon Eric Clapton torches “I Put A Spell On You” with his own bluesy fire. But as brilliant as Cocker and his session cohorts (who also include Steve Lukather and Dean Parks) often are, their efforts sometimes skid on C.J. Vanston’s way-too-slick production; aiming for the middle of the road, Vanston instead drives material like James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” and Cocker’s otherwise lovely read of “Everybody Hurts” towards a ditch....
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Blues, blues rock, classic rock, Heart & Soul, Joe Cocker, Rock, Soul
