Reviews (5)

Sexy, Romantic and Stirring!!!!
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You Mr. Earl for returning to our long awaiting hearts, mind and souls!!! It has been WAY TOO LONG, please don't wait so long next time! How can you describe a guitar virtuoso, it's simply not possible....so I'm telling you and everybody I know...JUST BUY THIS ONE NOW!!!!! Destined to be a top notch classic. Sexy, romantic and stirring, starting with Feel Like Goin On with soulful Greg Piccolo singing this one with his entire being!
Kim Wilson who is always incredible singing and on harmonica, joins Ronnie on most of the CD providing total compliment, "Abandoned" is as gutt wrenching as you're gonna hear anywhwere! This is a great blues CD, but let's not classify just in the blues genre, it's ROCKIN', sassy and jazzy, even Hallelujah Gospel.... because Ronnie knows no Bounds! So glad to finally add another of your CD's to my collection! And bring back reissues of "Test of Time" PLEASE!!

Scary good!
There is a shiver I get when good music hits me and really takes hold. Ronnie Earl's music has me shaking all over. The man gives you everything he has, heart and soul. Why he is not recognized as the greatest guitarist working today and among the best to ever picked up a guitar is beyond me. This is not as much of an instrumental album as last time. The great Kim Wilson and his smokin harp make numerous appearances on the album. The combination of the two men is dynamite! Show Ronnie Earl some love and pick this one up. You'll be glad you did.

On form
Reading the liner notes and listening to the heartfelt spoken message Ronnie places on this cd as a bonus track, one gets the feeling that Mr. Earl speaks as a man who knows his time is near. As a longtime fan, of course I hope this isn't the case, but Ronnie's playing on this album makes every note count, as if each were the last he'll ever play.

Now my Soul features Ronnie's trademark sound, but his playing reaches a higher level than before with fresh nuances on Blues for J and Double Trouble, among others. There's a new urgency to some of his phrasing; the kind made by a man pouring his entire soul into his music.

Kim Wilson's guest singing and playing are as good as ever. I wish these two would collaborate even more.

Inspiring music from an inspired man.

Mr. Earl Strike again!
Ronnie Earl is one of the best blues guitarists alive. This is a fact. With his new realise I believe he has gained a place in the short list of the greatest of all time. After many all-instrumental albums, on this one half of the tunes feature a singer. With the help of his all time friends Kim Wilson and Greg Piccolo, sharing vocals duty, and the former Broadcaster bass player Rod Carey, Ronnie delivers a very strong album that should definitively place him at the very top of the list of the greatest blues artists of our time. This is a straight blues album with just few concessions to other styles. His playing has never been so sharp and focused, so clean and crispy, he makes every single note counts and his playing throughout the album is just unbelievable. His version of the Otis Rush' classic Double Trouble worth by itself the price of admission. It is however the whole album that stands out from the crowd, not a bad tune to be found, no a weakness to be spotted. On the CD's notes Mr. Earl thanks and blesses lots of friends, I would just like to thank him with all my heart for all the fantastic sensations and the unbelievable feelings I always experience listening to his music. Thanks Ronnie, please carry on!

Everyone needs Ronnie Music in their life!
As a devotee of the man I regard as the finest living blues guitarist, his latest CD, "Now My Soul", doesn't disappoint, with the unique mix of jazz, blues and gospel that was christened "Ronnie Music" by the original Broadcasters still to my mind the most exciting music to be heard.

There are no weaknesses and therefore, relatively, no standouts but if pushed for a favourite I'd have to nominate "Double Trouble", an Otis Rush song covered by many (often badly - notably Eric Clapton's tepid rendering),is breathtaking.

If like me you know and love "Ronnie Music", you'll know in the nicest possible way what to expect, but if you're unlucky enough not to have come across Ronnie Earl before, welcome him warmly into your life and your CD player, you'll never regret it. He hasn't made a bad record in his career, everything he plays is not only technically phenomenal but is imbued with the soul of a man who has known the hardest of times but retains both his passion and compassion.

I first discovered Ronnie Music in 1997, having seen him play a devastating set at the Royal Festival Hall, London, in July that year - he even achieved the rare feast of making the headlining Robben Ford seem like an anticlimax. The above was shortly after I lost my my much-loved mother, and it's no exaggeration to say that the wonderful "Color of Love" album lifted my flagging spirits during the darkest period of my life, and also encouraged me to pick up my own guitar again having not played a note for fifteen years.

Enjoy!

Jonathan ... Read more

Reviews (33)

A great soundtrack
I got the CD (from Amazon) without knowing the songs I liked most (Nowhere fast & TIWIMTBY) were from Steinman (Air Supply, Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dyon). Tho only one heard on radio was I can dream about you.

I don't recall other songs by Fire Inc. but the 2 in this CD are awesome pieces of art, the rest (besides I can dream about you) is merely filling stuff. Jim Steinman is a great composer, other songs from him I like a lot are I would do anything for love, Rock'n'roll dreams, Total eclypse of the heart, Coming all back to me, Making love out of nothing at all. All lyrics give the feeling it comes from deep inside and seems the heart is eager to tell them out loud, lead voice in Fire Inc. does that very good.

It's a must have CD (not to mention the movie).

One of the best you've never heard of
The music on this CD is incredible. It boggles my mind that someone hasn't turned this into a Broadway musical yet (if it ever happens, you heard it here first). It would run for years! I just don't know who they'd find to match the power and range of Laurie Sergeant.

But back to the CD - The order of the tracks is not the same as the movie and the alternate version of "Countdown To Love" is somewhat lacking compared to the movie version. Also, "Deeper and Deeper" by the Fixx is good, but seems out of place. These minor quibbles aside, this atypical classic 80's rock soundtrack should be in every music lover's collection.

Jim Steniman, Ry Cooder, Tom Petty, Bob Seeger... the array of telent on this disc is outstanding. Most notable are the Jim Steniman compositions ("Nowhere Fast" and "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young") - pure GENIUS. If TIWIMTBY doesn't send chills up your spine, you're dead or ought to be.

Often overlooked are two numbers performed by the Blasters ("One Bad Stud" and "Blue Shadows"). These tunes HOT. "Sorcerer " (penned by Stevie Nicks) is a haunting lament that really suits the mood of the movie (as do mosst of the songs on the disc).

Fire, Inc. does an incredible job (who were these studio musicians and where are they now) and Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You" was a huge single that played on the radio for months during the mid 80's. It's a shame much of the CD got little air play.

Anyway, do yourself a favor, buy the CD if you don't own it. Buy the DVD too. Hearing the music is one thing, but hearing it in context is another. You'll love it!

STREETS OF FIRE [ SOUNDTRACK ]
Good movie! Great soundtrack! Best song on this cd is
Blue Shadows by:The Blasters also Hold That Snake by:Ry Cooder.
Overall,I don't think there is a bad song on the whole cd...

fire Inc. !!!
the fire inc. songs alone are a reson to buy this cd

Steinman blesses us with his songs once again!
Here's my advice: Buy this CD. Put this CD into your CD player. Skip to track 6. Turn off the lights. Experience "Tonight is What it Means to Young". (It's best if you have surround sound as well). It's the kind of song you don't merely listen to, you "experience". I am a hardcore Jim Steinman fan and this was one I bought solely to add to my collection. I now don't know how I lived without "Tonight is What it Means to be Young". I would have to say it has become one of my favorite songs. I can't fall asleep at night without having listened to it. Steinman is a genius, he truly is. I have to admit I bought this soundtrack, as I mentioned, because I am a Steinman fan. I actually bought the soundtrack to a movie I've never seen or heard of! But I have to say, after listening to it, I presume the DVD will be arriving in my mailbox soon! Both Steinman songs are awesome, I also like "Never Be You", but they're all great. As another reviewer said, this is the kind of CD you can put on loop mode and listen to over and over again. Don't hestitate, you won't be disappointed! ... Read more

Amazon.com

With his chocolaty cool, soulful Memphis croon and sure sense of melody, Robert Cray has never been considered a straightahead bluesman. His often interchangeable albums have instead stayed closer to R&B, adding compact, stinging lead guitar to songs about matters of the heart. That formula remains, with minor variations, on Cray's 14th release, rather confusingly named Twenty. The title track, a gripping, emotional anti-war ballad of the experience of a GI in Iraq (that, incidentally, doesn't contain the word "twenty") shows the singer/songwriter shifting his emotionally charged storytelling lyrics to the political arena. It's a brief but confident detour from his usual M.O. of relationships on the brink of collapse or in general disrepair, typically related in the first person. Subtle yet effective forays into loungey jazz on "My Last Regret" and even reggae on the opening "Poor Johnny" indicate a healthy tendency to push his established envelope, if only gently, into other genres.

But Cray sticks to his established bread and butter for the majority of this sturdy album, effortlessly churning out shoulder-swaying, foot-tapping R&B accompanied by a clean, clear tenor voice and a road-hardened band that finesses these songs with the perfect combination of fire and ice. Old fans won't be disappointed, and newcomers can start here and work backwards. --Hal Horowitz ... Read more

Reviews (4)

His Best CD Yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Robert Cray gets better with each new CD.His writing is top notch, check out Poor Johnny, Fading Away and That Ain't Love. His guitar work is unbelievable, I'm Walking, Two Songs from the End, I Know you Will. Check out the tastiest guitar playing on the cover song I Forgot to be Your Lover. All in all not a bad song on the CD. Blues, Rock, Jazz, Soul it's all here. Great listening, especially thru headphones.If you love good, well played music pick up Twenty. Make sure you see this band live, when they come to your town. As good as their albums are, the band is even better live. Don't miss them.

Smooth Riding Robert Cray
Robert Cray hails from the BB King school of guitar playing.. and I have every single release from RC ..and they are restrained glory in every sense of the word.Then, suddenly in a song, he busts out with some very good guitar playing that catches you off guard.

This particular recording is very complete, and very gospel sounding, in a lot of places.. but yet RC's voice is very gospel sounding in itself.. so I really think that is where a lot of the gospel comparisons come into the mix... and lets face it... a lot of guitar players play guitar and will sing as well.. but in RC's case.. his singing is as every bit of (dare I say even better) than his fantastic guitar ability.This can make for a very pleasureable experience.

This cd does cut fray into the political arena, but robert sings like someone who means what he has to say and is not really trying to paint an overtly political statements... very heartfelt song.

The guitar playing on this CD... there is as much guitar playing on this CD as one would like to hear.RC uses the guitar so much in phrases, and catches so much melody.. and when he does break out in solos, they mean something.

I must admit, this RC cd is a lot better than his past couple... and they were good too, but this one is better.

Enjoy, Have fun.

Twenty
I just listened to Robert Cray Band, album, "Twenty," for the first time.I quite by accident stumbled over it.I have not even heard any of the other songs but this particular one, so real and contemplative- a song/story about a US soldier in IRAQ and his emotional journal about his frustrations there. The lyrics are so appropriate for this day and circumstances of all veteran soldiers, present and past, andso hauntingly wonderful, that I will buy the CD just for this one song.If any of the other songs are as near as good, it will be a bonus! I just can't stop playing it from my computer. It really made me think of this war and what it is doing to the world and the men & women fighting and dying for all of us.I highly recommend it.Highly.Robert Cray is a ture storyteller.And to think that I never heard of him until tonight!

Yes
It is wonderful to a musician taking a political voice as they did in the Vietnam era. Powerful in a subtle way. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Think of Ry Cooder as a musicologist who makes learning fun. A particularly nifty collection from 1974, Paradise & Lunch is solo Cooder at his best. The song selection is inspired and unpredictable: numbers by Burt Bacharach, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and Bobby Womack commingle with ease. "Tattler" is a rare Ry original that happens to be one of the collection's highlights. Jazz legend Earl Hines guests on the dapper "Ditty Wa Ditty." --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Ry Cooder's Best
All of Ry Cooder's music is exceptional. All of it. So picking his "best" record is a bit like picking Beethoven's best string quartet. Or Bob Dylan's best song. But this album is special. It's the kind of record that you mention to that new friend you discover whose taste is broad, deep and solid, who would recommend a record to you and you would just buy it unquestioningly because of the respect you have for the person's discriminating taste, and that person will look you in the eye with a knowing respect and say, "You know about 'Paradise and Lunch'?" And it will turn out to be on both your top 10 lists. Most people don't know about this record, but every time I meet that rare new person who really knows music but whose taste is not focused on just one area (you know, the guy who has every album Cecil Taylor made, but who has never heard of the Kronos Quartet), this one is on their short list of all-time favorites.

If you are not sure whether you will like it, ask yourself whether you like old country blues, old gospel, calypso, street-corner a capella singing, or any pre-commercial American roots music. No? OK, forget it then. But if you do, all those influences are on this record and more, produced and performed in an original, infectious way that will keep these tunes in your head for decades (they've certainly been in my head that long.) In fact, I probably would not put it on my list of 10 records to take to a desert island, like some other reviewers mentioned. I don't have to, because every song on the album has long been burned into my synapses, and I can recall them all note for note any time I want. You might find the same happens to you. Tamp 'em up solid, so they won't come down.

Shining Through
Ry Cooder was like the mystery musician in Los Angeles for years. He'd break through the surface and make a dazzling appearance on stage or sparkle up somebody else's record, and then he'd fall from sight dipping back into his own projects. Other musicians just loved him because he'd practice ten hours a day and was rumored to be a walking treasure trove of all sorts of esoteric lore about one of their most favorite topics, music.

This record was like the breaking of the dawn and Ry really stretched out brightly for all to see and hear. All blended with his quirky musical sense of humor. Ry took "It's All Over Now" back closer to the original Bobby Womack version (actually, Bobby as a member of the Valentinos). The vocals here have some elements of the "high-preaching" style, just meaning the song is sung in a gospel style high register, a form of singing in worship that is supposed to carry the song closer to heaven.

A brief side trip into music history here: the Womack brothers were raised in a family tradition of singing and performing gospel music. The Womack brothers as young men attracted by the lure of more secular rhythm and blues music recorded as the Valentinos in the early 60's. As the story goes, when their first song became an R&B hit in 1961, their preacher dad was seriously offended and kicked them out of the house. They had to wait until 1963 for their second R&B hit, which was "It's All Over Now" which also happened to be the last time the Valentinos made the charts.

The song became popularized quite soon, in fact the very next year when a group of relative newcomers pumped out a heavier rock and roll cover of the tune, and Ry as a studio musician in the early 70's contributed some of his own brilliance on a few tracks here and there for that same group.

You don't really need to know any of that to appreciate the song here, a delightful swirl of Latin percussion with a particularly endearing emphasis on the maraca. All combined over timbales, a few steel pans, "cheesy" keyboard organ, tack sounding piano, warm and fuzzy electrified guitar, syncopated bass stepping into a calypso-tinged rhythm guitar, all topped off with an exuberant background chorus. A swingy piece of music and you get a bit of a buzz just listening to it. This also is a respectful treatment of the original material, much closer to the meaning in the song's original intent. Through this skilled arrangement, Ry also managed to give the song back to the people who had created the music in the first place and a new appreciative audience. That only makes it better.

Released in 1974, at the dawn of Reprise-Warners finest years as a record company, "Paradise & Lunch" is every bit as bright and gentle as the sunny yellow and pink hibiscus on the cover, the music within bursting into one of Ry Cooder's finest efforts and a stunning achievement for him.

An eclectic mix and beautiful sound
The transfer of Ry Cooder's classic "Paradise and Lunch" to CD is outstanding, with the power and finesse of Cooder's guitar work underscoring the humorous and bittersweet lyrics of tunes like "Mexican Divorce".

A roots music masterpiece
Another one of Ry's early masterpieces. For some reason, this features a bunch of songs about marriage, from "Married Man's A Fool" to "Mexican Divorce..." On the similarly-themed "Tattler," Cooder introduces his trademark echo-y slide sound, and is backed by the lush vocal harmonies of Bobby King, who would remain a staple of Ry's sound for manhy years to come. The song selection here is all first rate, and the vibe is, quite simply, one of pure, unmitigated fun... The lineup is pretty amazing, too -- highlights include an acoustic reggae version of Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now" and the explosively joyful "Ditty Wah Ditty," which features some old-time jazz heavyweights, including Plas Johnson, Red Callendar and even the venerable Earl "Fatha" Hines(!) on piano. As usual, Cooder's a real class act.

Thoughtful and fun at the same time
I half-expected I wouldn't see this album available through Amazon. It's not the kind of music you'd expect to be commercially successful (which is the listening public's loss), and it's been around forever. I would call Paradise & Lunch a class out of sheer reflex, but here it is: standing the test of time.

This is an exceptional album in several dimensions. The musicianship is subtle and impeccable. The song selection is intriguing in a way that would please a historian (I mean that in a good way). Cooder knows there's American music stored in our inner ear that deserves to be heard again, and he says as much in the liner notes. He's gone into the hollers and mountains and brought out generations of some hard living in music.

What he's laid down on the tracks is not research: it's telling stories that carry the grit and blood of the people who lived them. It's soul music: the joy of deep sensations recounted. The energy of "Tamp 'Em Up Solid" for me captures the feel of a train winding its way through the mountains; "Mexican Divorce" just feels like a sad day on the Gulf. My personal favorite: "It's All Over Now." If you've never heard a group of backwoods singers holler and harmonize at the same time, this one is a treat.

Play the whole album with your eyes closed. It is down home. In every track, the sense of peanut shells on the floor and cigarette butts strewn across the parking lot is not far away. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Taj Mahal's been chasing the blues around the world for years, but rarely with the passion, energy, and clarity he brought to his first three albums. Taj Mahal, The Natch'l Blues and The Real Thing are the sound of the artist, who was born in 1942, defining himself and his music. On his self-titled 1967 debut, he not only honors the sound of the Delta masters with his driving National steel guitar and hard vocal shout, but ladles in elements of rock and country with the help of guitarists Ry Cooder and the late Jessie Ed Davis. This approach is reinforced and broadened by The Natch'l Blues. What's most striking is Mahal's way of making even the oldest themes sound as if they're part of a new era. Not just through the vigor of his playing--relentlessly propulsive, yet stripped down compared with the six-string ornamentations of the original masters of country blues--but through his singing, which possesses a knowing insouciance distinct to post-Woodstock counterculture hipsters. It's the voice of an informed young man who knows he's offering something deep to an equally hip and receptive audience.

Soon, Mahal turned his multicultural vision of the blues even further outward. The live 1971 set, The Real Thing, finds him still carrying the Mississippi torch, while adding overt elements of jazz and Afro-Caribbean music to its flame. But it's overreaching. His band sounds under-rehearsed, and the arrangements seem more like rough outlines. Nonetheless, these albums set the stage for Mahal's career. (For a condensed version, try the fine The Best of Taj Mahal.) Today, he continues to make fine fusion albums, like 1999's Kulanjan, with Malian kora master Toumani Diabate, and less exciting but still eclectic recordings with his Phantom Blues Band. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great Place to Get a Taste
This collection focuses on the very early Taj Mahal and contains most of his early classics. For anyone not familiar with this artist this is a great place to start. You get a full taste of "Taj Mahal", "The Natch'l Blues" and "The Real Thing"(with the tuba band), his first 3 excellent albums, and it is obvious from these how eclectic a blues performer he is. Taj Mahal has always been one of my favorites, and he presented one of the best live shows I have ever seen. He is touring this summer so check him out if you get a chance, and delve deeply into the rest of his recorded material, particularly "Senor Blues".

What A Find!
I had heard the name Taj Mahal over the years but never took the time to investigate his music. Then one day I heard the song "Fishing Blues" on the radio and it sparked my interest. When I saw that he had this "Best Of..." collection I figured I'd take a chance, I haven't stopped playing it since then. What a find, this is great music! Every track on this cd touched me in some way. Songs like "Statesboro Blues", "Leaving Trunk", and "She Caught The Katy" are gritty, bluesy, and soulful. Taj sings with a voice that was made for the blues, and plays a mean harmonica to boot.
Aside from the songs on this collection that really cook, there are others that seem to transend the blues and create a different feeling. "Corinna", "Take A Giant Step" and "Johnny Too Bad" are more thoughtful and laid back, making for a good mix of tempos'. All in all this is a collection of incredible music from a great artist,and track for track, it's one of the best albums I have ever purchased.

Great Summary
I absolutely agree that one should own the box set, but this disc is worth owning alone for "Chevrolet." That song really gets me going, and I play it for my wife all the time to let her know how I feel. This disc will only fuel your longing for more taj mahal, so get it and save up for the box set!! If you get the chance check out the grammy-winning "Shouting in Key." That is the best disc of all.

Good But Not The Best!
Taj has become the torchbearer of the blues and, over the years, has developed a very large following and a comprehensive catalog of releases. In order to put this recording into prospective it's necessary to look at what is here. What you find on this disc is a collection of some very fine material dating from 1967 to 1974. So, while the material may be the best of Taj for that period, and that is debatable, it would be unfair to Taj and to his fans to call this a collection of his best works. Anything short of a box set could not possibly cover the broad array of excellent releases put out by this individual. That being said, the reproduction of "Leaving Trunk" and "Corinna" are not of the best quality. However, the rest of the CD is a good representative sample of Taj's early releases. While I would encourage individuals to buy this disc, I feel a certain obligation to the man that has produced so many quality songs over the past 30 plus years to also suggest the box set "In Progress & In Motion".

refreshing
this album was a refreshing taste of blues history for me. It was my first Taj Mahal album and I love it. The songs, Leaving Trunk, Corrina, Further On Down The Road, and Take a Giant Step are all beautifully written and performed. If you are a blues fan you will not be disappointed with this album. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One would think that jumping into the pop-rock marketplace after being branded a blues player might confuse a 17-year-old guitar whiz. No way. Jonny Lang, with the lucid advice of ace producer David Z, understands the role of the blues as solid ground for someone who wants to take flight with intelligent, well-crafted music that has a wide audience. His second album's strengths lie with his gruffly appealing singing voice and his lean, razor-edged guitar phrases. The material is solid, with songs that range stylistically from the ingratiating funk number "I Am" (a hitherto unrecorded David Z and Prince composition), to the it-sure-sounds-like-a-rock-hit "Still Rainin'" (complete with thunderous chords and soulful female backup singers), to a griddle-hot take on the late Chicago blues guitarist Luther Allison's "Cherry Red Wine." All 12 songs are of a piece, tied together by Lang's unassailable musical integrity and his freshness of vision. And R&B master guitarist Steve Cropper is on hand in the Minneapolis recording studio to insure the soulful vibe. --Frank- John Hadley ... Read more

Reviews (157)

A BLUES LEGEND IN THE MAKING!!
After hearing Lie to Me, I was hooked. The song Still Rainin' was a good song to make a single, but I also like some others on the CD. I love Breakin' Me and Leaving to Stay mostly because they are different from his other hard-rock songs. I also bought the Kid Jonny Lang and the Big Bang CD, and I was surprised. I thought since the songs were made a long time ago he would sound like the lost Hanson brother, but I was wrong. Jonny is an amazing talent and I can't wait to hear some great new tunes. Keep up the great work, Jonny!! P.S.-If you ever get a chance to go see him in concert, definitely go because he sure puts on a great show!

Getting a lot better, but not quite there yet...
When I first heard "Still Rainin'" on the radio this summer I thought it was pretty good, seeing as how Lang himself doesn't write most of his own songs. I know a lot of people are really in love with this guy, and that's fine, but I personally don't think that Lang's music is THAT wonderful. I think he sounds like a lot of the current crop of blues musicians (i.e. Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Corey Stevens, etc.). He's a real good technician, and one thing that I liked about this new album is that he doesn't sound quite as coached, not quite as mass-produced. Frankly, if I were on the marketing staff at A&M, if I could turn back time, I would've released this album as Jonny's major-label debut and saved "Lie To Me" for an album of unreleased demos and b-sides to come out on the artists' 50th birthday. The songs sound a lot better this time around, but what I can't stand is the way the production team dresses up everything to sound like a pop record, just like they did the first time. I also think "Wander This World" could use some looser drumming. If you heard the cover "Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl" from "Lie To Me", you might get an idea of what I'm talking about. I think that in regards to Jonny Lang, everyone needs to chill out and let this little sprout grow some more before we go hacking the fruit off the vine. Overall, the picture's better, but I still think Lang's music could benefit greatly from a little more textural variety (beyond clavinets and echo pianos) and a little more stylistic variety as well.

Don't Put too Much faith in it
This is a classic example of follow-up disc. In this case, the album has gone too much to the producers. The songs themselves are good, but on most of the tracks, Jonny's voice is so mixed out that you can hardly here him. Which is a shame, because Jonny has an amazing voice. There are some good songs on there, and his guitar playing is good. But compared to Lie To Me, this just seem weak

Age ain't nuthin' but a number
Jonny Lang has it -- whatever it is -- call it musical integrity, roots, passion, feel or a simple and real sense of the song. His age is irrelevant. He had it as a kid and is only getting better and more refined. And his songwriting is just as inspired. I'm a huge fan of the blues and you cannot deny the wondrous blues foundation of Johnny's music. It's in the heart of his performance. No wonder it's so soulful, free-spirited and without any posturing or self-importance. I fell in love with this record on my first play. There's no need to keep Jonny in the traditional 16-bar blues format -- he's got a lot to say and he needs a mosaic of musical styles in which to create. Bravo Jonny! This endorsement comes from a 30-something-year-old singer/songwriter who takes her music very seriously. You have captured my attention and I look forward to all you have to offer now and in the future! You're a breath of much-needed fresh air in this "business" of music.

A CD that will make you a True Lang Fan
A friend gave this CD to me for a birthday present. Since listening to the songs the first time, I have been hooked on Jonny. This CD has everything from Rock/blues, ballads, to Louisana Blues! There is something for everyone. This CD also shows how much this young man is maturing in his talents. A MUST have for anyone that likes good music! It hooked me on this man...and I have no doubt that it will do the same for you!

Walkin' Away, Breakin' Me, Cherry Red Wine, I Am....my very favorites...but ALL are great tunes.

Enjoy your purchase, it's worth every penny! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The title's baloney. Sure, some of Buddy Guy's most blistering guitar playing has been captured on his '90s recordings for Silvertone, but with albums like Muddy Waters's 1964 Folk Singer and his own 1967 solo debut A Man & the Blues on his résumé, Guy's status as a Chicago blues giant was assured long before his 1991 comeback Damn Right, I've Got the Blues. Nonetheless, that tune, the instrumental tribute "Remembering Stevie" (for the late guitar-slinger Vaughan), "Five Long Years," and the previously unissued "Miss Ida B" testify that at age 65 Guy still possesses rare depth and fire. His singing is big and soulful, capable of cheerleading a party or hurtling down to the depths of Delta blues heartache. His six-stringing remains wildly inventive and unpredictable, even on slight numbers like "She's a Superstar." And the inclusion of blatant stabs at the pop charts such as his "Midnight Train" duet with Jonny Lang take nothing away from the passion he puts into true blues performances like "I Need Your Love So Bad" and "Innocent Man," leftovers from earlier sessions that surface here. Baddest or not, this CD spotlights one of our greatest bluesmen in fine form. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Buddy is the baddest!!!
To the fan from Vienna, VA: Buddy is not in his 70's. Actually, as of the date I'm writing this, he is 63. Regardless, no one I've ever seen packs as much energy into a live performance as Mr. Guy. And I recommend to anyone who hasn't seen him live, do it before it's too late. He truly is the master!!

Anyway, about this CD. It is a compilation of some of best tracks off his Silvertone recordings of the 90's, plus 5 previously unreleased tracks. Definitely for the more casual fan, who doesn't own "Damn Right I've Got the Blues", "Feels Like Rain", "Slippin' In"(the best of the individual studio Silvertone recordings), and "Heavy Love". Also with the Silvertone label, Buddy released a live album w/the Saturday Live Band called "The Real Deal". The only track on "Buddy's Baddest" from "The Real Deal" is "Let Me Love You". "The Real Deal" is definitely worth buying separate because live is how Mr. Guy is meant to be heard.

Overall, I would say "Buddy's Baddest" is a good introduction to Buddy Guy. If you love it, then follow up with "The Real Deal", the individual Silvertone recordings, "Stone Crazy", and "DJ Play My Blues". Also, you can't go wrong with "Live at Montreaux" or "Drinking TNT and Smoking Dynamite"(better), both live recordings with harmonica legend Jr. Wells.....Enjoy!

The best of Buddy Guy? Not likely
This overview of Buddy Guy's Silvertone recordings ought to be titled "Some of the best of Buddy Guy's 90s tunes, and a few throwaways as well", or something along those lines.

The first ten songs are almost all good, but the four previously unreleased songs aren't among Guy's best work, and since almost all of the previously released material here is taken from just three albums, there is really no good reason to pick up this mediocre sampler. Go with "Damn Right I've Got The Blues" and "Slippin' In" instead, and perhaps the "Feels Like Rain" album, from which "She's Nineteen Years Old" and of course "Feels Like Rain" are taken.
Only one track comes from the forgettable "Heavy Love", which is actually a credit to the compilers, and the last one, the live "My Time After Awhile", is from "Live: The Real Deal".

If you want an overview of Buddy Guy's career prior to his 90s comeback, go for Rhino Records' excellent "The Very Best Of Buddy Guy", or check out the best of his classic Chess singles on MCA/Chess' "Buddy's Blues". This is a decent sampler, but considering that it only spans four studio albums, one of which is bland at best, it is not really that much of a necessity.

could have been more tracks
this cd is a great starter for anyone who is just getting into great blues music (i have been into blues for about 12years) and enjoy everything that buddy guy has recorded. this cd should have contained more tracks, alot of great songs missing on this cd. i give it 5 stars anyway.

Baddest? Best!!!
This album will show you a man that is blues, blues and nothing but blues! Blues comes out his feet, his fingers, from every vain the man has in his whole body! This album is a good way to start if you want to dive into Buddy Guys world of the blues and blues as a whole. Guy combines various blues styles to one, very much his own style. That makes him a true living legend, and I am sure that if you buy this album you're soon will buy the original ones as well!

good collection
of course with greatest hits there are always songs that you feel of great that are left off. the cd kicks off with" damn right ive got the blues" to five long years. good thing that there are three unreleased songs on the cd is why i brought it. good starter cd for any new fans ... Read more

Amazon.com

If there's a certain instant familiarity to this collaborative celebration between U.S. guitar icon/musicologist Ry Cooder and Cuban fret legend Manuel Galbán, it's only testimony to how deeply the island nation's rich musical heritage permeated American pop music in the '50s, '60s, and beyond. Cooder and Galbán (a key compatriot in the American guitarist's Buena Vista Social Club project) invent a back-to-the-future sound--twin guitars fronting a Cuban rhythm section of two drum kits, congas, and bass--whose dreamy swing quotient is matched only by its sense of mirthful abandon. Thus tracks like "Dru Me Negrita" and "Los Twangueros" manage to evoke everything from Link Wray, Duane Eddy, and the Ventures to Mancini and Esquivel, while Cooder and Galbán twirl a standard like "Patricia" and the nervy title track around dueling poles of tradition and experimentation with deceptive grace. It's joyous, mercurial stuff that the two musicians conjure at their fingertips. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (51)

A music experience that is like a much needed vacation
Being a longtime fan of Ry Cooder, I know that any project that he emerges with will be well worth the wait and result in something special. From the beginning project with 1997's Grammy winning "Buena Vista Social Club" project, the world has come to know the richness of Cuba's almost forgotten music. Each musician has come to record a solo project from these sessions.
This new project, "Mambo Sinuendo" features a small combo sound, a sound that was alive in the late '50's, early '60's. This setting does not showcase the big Buena Vista Social Club brass or vocals. This project is a stripped-down, seductive twangy guitar sound, featuring the guitar work of Manuel Galban up front & center. Manuel Galban is a masterful Cuban guitarist, whose style is like American guitarist Duane Eddy, one of Ry Cooder's influences.
Ry Cooder plays the harmony guitar parts, weaving dreamlike rhythms and occasional hawaiin steel guitar and organ throughout, adding texture. The drums & percussion are shared by Ry's son Joachim and Jim Keltner, one of the world's best drummers. The bass is played by Cuba's "Cachiato" Lopez, and along with a couple songs with congos and background vocals, the set is almost entirely an instrumental affair.
This is a lovely set of peaceful music, that is great to listen to again and again. Ry Cooder has been on vacation in Cuba, making some of the finest music of his career, and he has taken us all along with him. I enjoyed this project, as the guitars sound so dreamy and seductive. Throughout this set of songs I have felt so relaxed and taken in by this great music. When the last notes drift into silence, it's like realising that vacation is over and it's time to go back to the grind.
I have my personal faves on this recording. "Patricia" is a joy. The uptempo beat, duel guitar interplay is great. There are many soothing songs, and a couple of uptempo songs. But of the soothing slower ones, "La Luna En Tu Mirada", is so hypnotic, that I find myself so envolved that I was almost in Cuba with them, resting on the beach at sunset. When the song ends, and I come to my senses, I relise that it was a only a dream.
I highly recommend this cd, as it will not only remind you of how great Cuban combo music was in it's heyday, but will let you escape the grind and stress of your modern day. When it's over, as the last note fades into silence, you long for more. Hopefully there will be.... Rob.

A Cool Breeze Out Of Havana.
Ever since the release of the Grammy award-winning "Buena Vista Social Club," Ry Cooder has stuck to Cuban music. He has probably become the second most popular living soul connected to the island right behind comandandte Fidel Castro. However, he is not become of those cheesy artists trying to experiment with what they should not be touching in the first place, Cooder obviously does FEEL the essence of traditional Cuban music. With "Mambo Sinuendo" Cooder creates an album of great atmosphere, evoking the sounds of the Cuban coast from the 50's but also adds some modern flourishes that nicely create an evocative hybrid as in "Monte Adentro." The second name billed here is Manuel Galban, he and Cooder both create with their guitars notes of wonderful delicacy and elegance, with real style and flavor. There is also memorable slide guitar work here that truly creates an atmosphere. The reason why we should praise Cooder and not condemn him for his artistic impulses in the Latin American music scene is because he truly does present some great stuff. "Buena Vista Social Club" was an album of great beauty and "Mambo Sinuendo" is a wonderfully beautiful extension with Cooder finally really taking the spotlight to show he is indeed capable of playing with the big boys of this genre. Just look at the really good rendition here of the classic "Caballo Viejo" which almost has a rock n' roll vibe going through it. There are also the two most romantic pieces here, "Bodas De Oro" and "La Luna En Tu Mirada" which vibrate with a beauty and elegance Ricky Martin wishes he could paint his superficial pop with. What "Mambo Sinuendo" eventually feels like is just a group of wonderful musicians jamming late at night by the oceanside.

Beautiful
This is great life soundtrack music. Ry Cooder always delivers and never bores me. He keeps evolving, and that's art.

Buy this CD!
At the risk of sounding like a teenager, this CD has some of the coolest sounds I've heard in a long time! It's already over a year old and I can't believe I missed it when it was first released.
If you like the sounds of the Ventures, Dick Dale's guitar, any classic Mambo, any light Salsa music, or just being transported to a tropical paradise, Ry Cooder's and Manuel Galban's music is for you. Each track, unique in its execution and mood, is part of a familiar yet progressive set of sounds that transport the listener in inspiring ways. One track took me to a bar on a Caribbean beach late at night. Another track took me to a Cuban nightclub in 50's. Another took me to a dance floor in Acapulco after a few shots of tequila. And yet another made we want to take my surfboard out to the Hawaiian surf at dusk.
Cooder and Galban have combined to create a unique yet familiar sound that conjures multiple images and moods all in one, a sound I might call 'tropical jazz.' Sounds for the casual listener, the late-night listener, or even for the dance floor.
To say I recommend it would be an understatement.

Can anyone speak spanish?
Could someone please correct the title of the first track? DRUME is one word, it means "go to sleep". This isn't celtic, guys. ... Read more

Reviews (55)

Fine primer on SRV, but there's a better offering available.
Stevie Ray Vaughan might have been the only man alive to approach the cosmic heights reached by the legendary Jimi Hendrix. He had the soulful voice, the second-to-none (but tasteful) chops, and the uncanny talent of taking blues standards and making them his own in a way that a second-tier blues guitarist like Eric Clapton can only attempt to emulate. Stevie was the real deal. His unfortunately short career began in 1980 and ended in 1990 with the sad helicopter accident that took his life. Throughout that career, Vaughan reinvented the world of blues guitar and bridged the gap between 12-bar blues and rock 'n' roll. While he wasn't the first to perform this feat, few did it as well.

The two single-disc Greatest Hits compilations available today do a pretty good job of rounding up his best material (both live and studio)--that is, if you don't mind buying them both. However, if you want all of this material without having to buy both discs separately, there's a better way to go. Look for a collection titled "The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble" locally. This is a 2-disc compilation not offered on Amazon that basically bundles together the two Greatest Hits discs. It has almost all the same songs (chronologically ordered too). Of course, you miss out on the rarity Pipeline featuring Dick Dale, but that isn't a huge loss to the casual fan.

Now that I've let you in on that little secret, go forth and add some SRV to your collection. If you're really hooked, seek out the individual studio albums (Texas Flood, Couldn't Stand The Weather, Soul To Soul, In Step) and also check out the several live albums available. Actually, go for the live albums first. Stevie was amazing live, as this compilation's versions of Shake For Me, Willie The Wimp, and Superstition (way better than the Stevie Wonder original!) prove. Also marvel at the phenomenal cover of Hendrix's Voodoo Child (Slight Return). Let's see any living guitarist try topping THAT.

So, in summary, your collection isn't complete without at least one Stevie album. Next to B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and (yes) Jimi, he was the greatest blues guitarist ever. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

"Excellent Follow-Up to 1995's Hits collection"
This 16-track compilation of SRV hits recorded from 1980 to 1990, is an excellent follow-up to the critically acclaimed 1995 collection "Greatest Hits." All of his 4 studio albums are equally represented here, as well as some of his live releases, and compilations that were released after his death. As for the rarities, the tracks "Leave My Girl Alone (from the "Live in Austin Texas" DVD)" & "Pipeline (1987, out of print)" were previously released as part of film soundtracks and DVD releases, but are presented here as audio tracks. This is a strange marketing strategy, but the tracks are still excellent. "Love Struck Baby" serves as the opening track, followed by the slow blues of "Ain't Gone 'n' Give Up on Love", the instrumental "Scuttle Buttin'", and "Wall of Denial", an obscure track from the award winning album, "In Step." My personal favorite is track 15, "Voodoo Chile (slight return)",
a remake of the 1968 hit by Hendrix. This 8 minute version features awesome soloing, vocals, and precision by Double Trouble. Get this CD, and enjoy a selection of hits by this late great guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Don't forget to check out "Voodoo Chile" & "Leave My Girl Alone (live)."

A good but imperfect companion volume to "Greatest Hits"
Stevie Ray Vaughan's original Greatest Hits album was far too short at just 11 not particularly well chosen tracks, but this 1999 addition goes a long way towards making up for that. It is not a hits package per se, since most of these songs were never released as singles, but it features lots of excellent songs like "Willie The Wimp", "Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love", "Empty Arms", and Vaughan's magnificent rendition of Doyle Bramhall's acoustic survivor story "Life By The Drop".

That still doesn't make it a definitive career retrospective, though, even when coupled with "Greatest Hits" vol. I, and the inclusion of tunes like "Pipeline" and "Superstition" is suspect considering what has been left out.
At 27 songs, these two albums are trmped by the superb double-disc collection "The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble", which is cheaper than "Greatest Hits" vol. I and II together, yet features a stronger selection of songs, and six more of them as well.

Go get that one. Go, go!

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - The Real Deal: hits 2
I love working out to this CD--it makes me think Austin . ..Rockabilly . . good times . . .Great CD and great work out alternative

Great Intro to SRV
This is the first Stevie Ray Vaughan CD I picked up, and while it may be considered a lesser album by some die-hard fans, I keep finding this thing in my CD player. It's got some great songs, and pretty good diversity, considering Vaughan's tragicallly abbreviated career.

Several live tracks, including the classic "Willie the Wimp" and the rocking update of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," give you a sense of what a blast it must have been to watch Vaughan roar through a set -- almost as good as watching a rerun of "Austin City Limits." The combination of rocking fury and melancholy blues is just astounding.

Instrumentals ("Pipeline," "Scuttle Buttin'") also allow the listener to just kick back and marvel at Vaughan's virtuoso playing ability. Vaughan's voice, apparently criticized by some, is fine, but it pales in comparison to his ability to a guitar.

My two favorite tracks are the thumping "Shake For Me" and the bittersweet "Life by the Drop." It's tough to pick favorites on this loaded album, though, and I've never met two people who have the same two top picks on this album.

It's tough to pick up a Stevie Ray Vaughan CD these days . . . there are so many that have slightly different combos of the same limited catalog of songs. This album is a good start. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A Boston native now living in Atlanta, Sue Tedeschi gets wildly overpraised by some purported blues pundits and gratuitously slammed by others. The truth lies somewhere in between. She's an earnest but undistinguished singer and a functional songwriter-guitarist whose music provides mild entertainment. On an album that veers between blues-slanted material (try "Friar's Point") and bluesy pop-rock (take your pick), she carries on with élan but none of the finesse or emotional clarity of a big-league singer like Joan Osborne or Bonnie Raitt. Tedeschi's cover of John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery," alas, is her blatant imitation of the famous redhead but it is light years away from Raitt's persuasive capacity for interpreting lyrics. The most alluring track is "Can't Leave You Alone," written by Tedeschi band member Adrienne Hayes, who unleashes a stirring little guitar solo therein. --Frank-John Hadley ... Read more

Reviews (215)

one of the best blues singers in a long time!
You guys must be kidding, and you've clearly never seen Susan live. (By the way you've also left out Blues Revue's review of her work which is more to the point). I have been a blues fan for about 25 years and I have to say she is one of the best blues singers in a long time! Her voice is both powerful and evocative. She reminds me of the best of Bonnie Raitt mixed with the best of Janis Joplin (I've seen both live) I have seen her twice. Once her set overpowered Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang and other more well known blues stalwarts. The other time she just blew the crowd away with the songs on Just Won't Burn and her bands version of Got My Mojo Working. I can't wait to hear her now that she's teaming with Double Trouble. The only thing I might say is that her album doesn't do her justice - although I find that is true about almost every blues artist I have seen from BB King to Eric Clapton. My advice - get the album, see her live and follow her career.

Nothing like Janis, but great nonetheless
I thought this album was great, although the guitar solos sounded sloppy in some places. But they give the album a raw edge that is notably absent in most recordings. It doesn't sound slick, overproduced, or commercial. Keep in mind, this is only her second album, and if this is any indication of Susan's potential as a great blues singer, her fans have found a winner.

Personal side gripe: I was given this album by a friend, who knows I'm a Janis Joplin fan, and he said, "Listen to this--she sounds just like Janis!" Well, Susan has a powerful voice, but she doesn't sound anything like Janis (IMHO). Reading reviews of the album, it seems many are comparing her to Janis or Bonnie Raitt. Why are their talents the standards by which most female blues singers are measured? Certainly the influence is there, but the sound is fresh and unique. Susan Tedeschi should stand on her own, and listeners should not be expecting to hear somebody else's music.

But aside from that--her voice is haunting and she can play a mean guitar...can't wait for the next album!

Susan rocks!
The way Susan sings and plays guitar makes you want to get up and move! Isn't that what it's all about? Her voice is amazing, and it's been said before that she sounds a bit like a mix of Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt, but she's also her own. Get this album and listen to it, you won't be disappointed.

Little person,Big Sound!!
Saw Susan at blues fest in upstate New York.She wowed the place.Bought Just Wont Burn the same day.Turned alot of people on to it.They loved it as much as I do.Take it for what it is,Blues that wont dissapoint.

She's mean
She sings 'mean' take-charge blues on the rock.
Excellent! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Few traditional bluesmen have the swinging elegance and vocal grace of ex-Roomful of Blues frontman Sugar Ray Norcia. And this is his finest solo album, full of warm performances and well-written original tunes. Even when Sugar Ray's grinding out a Chicago shuffle like "I Done Got Wise," both his warm singing and his harp solos create luxurious melodies full of richly sustained notes that carefully underscore the deep emotions that put life in his lyrics. The title cut and "The Last Blues Song" are among his best numbers. The former explores the pain of possible infidelity and the latter is a secular prayer for a better world, set to a spare piano arrangement that gives Sugar Ray room to weave colorful filigrees and wide dynamics into his vocal phrases. He's also got a skillful journeyman Bluetones lineup here, with fellow Roomful alums Doug James and Carl Querfurth on sax and trombone; veteran Handy-nominated Michael "Mudcat" Ward on bass; Neal Gouvin on drums; and on guitar, Paul Size, whocomfortably fills the seat formerly held by Ronnie Earl and Mike Welch. They play together with transparent mastery, giving the boss plenty of license to exercise his considerable talents. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Smoking Sugar
Sugar Ray's latest is a return to form, for the veteran singer and harmonica player. For years, Ray Norcia, honed his skills with Ronnie Earl, Roomful of Blues and the crop of the breed within blues. This effort brings back the Bluetones and newest guitar wiz Paul Size, once a member of the legendary outfit Red Devils. As can be expected, fantastic singing and creative harp-blowing, and definitely well chosen covers and originals. The mix is eclectic, no doubt, but it gels and cooks! Sugar was always a wonderful singer and his phrasing is nothing short of top notch. The songs cover old style R&B, rock, a few jazzy numbers and blues shuffles. Compared to his previous CD, this is clearly an improvement, this is easily this years best blues CD this far. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Sweet surrender's always been the subtext of gospel music, but thevelvet punch of this superstar jam band will knock out secular audiences aswell. The Word features John Medeski of Medeski, Martin and Wood andyoungblood trio the North Mississippi Allstars,but its star is Robert Randolph, a 23-year-old from New Jersey who is the newgod of pedal-steel guitar. Randolph earned his chops in the Pentecostal church,performing the so-called "Sacred Steel" music well documented by the Arhoolielabel (see Sacred Steel, Vol. 2 for asample). He plays like an amalgamation of Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck,John Coltrane, Buddy Emmons, Bo Diddley, and Mahalia Jackson. In short, he'sbrilliant, so full of rock & roll energy, improvisational fire, and sonicacrobatics that the other great musicians on this disc mostly stay out of hisway. Randolph has a seemingly divine gift for on-the-fly harmony as he splitsthe difference between Sunday tent meetings and Saturday juke crawls on "KeepYour Lamp Trimmed & Burning." In the Allman Brothers-style jams,Randolph plays both Dickey Betts and Duane to Medeski's organ, handling sweet,clean scales and rich, mellow slide slurs. But his vocabulary extends wellbeyond American-roots music. "Blood on That Rock" ends in a free-improvmeltdown, and elsewhere his snaky lines sound like Middle Eastern holy singing.All of which makes The Word worth heeding. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Reviews (42)

A Jamfan MUST HAVE
During a summer when there is no mega tour; when everything seems like a brady bunch rerun you've seen 304 times: Out comes THE WORD. Fresh, innovative and uplifting; FUNKY, soulful and creative... it's all in The Word. Joyful Sounds and Waiting On My Wings have irresistable riffs that tattoo on the brain for days. Blood on That Rock and I'll Fly away are spacey, layered and complex while changing tempo and pitch lay in the hands (and foot) of the Pedal Steel guitar master, Robert Randolph: who hadn't played outside of his church band more than a handful of times before this project. If you have any inclination toward: Phish, String Cheese, Deep Bananna Blackout, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Allman Brothers, BB King, Hendrix, Clapton or straight up GOSPEL BLUES ROCK- You must have THE WORD.

"The Word" is Great!!
The first time I'd heard of this band was a few weeks ago. A friend who had seen them at The Birchmere in Virginia and another friend who is a rabid Robert Randolph fan, tipped me off. Their advice and having just recently seen the North Mississippi Allstars live for the first time, had me eagerly anticipating the release of the this CD. That anticipation of this all instrumental recording was well rewarded! The Allstars provide a rock-solid foundation for the fabulous pedal steel guitar work of Robert Randolph and the keyboards of John Medeski. Though I'm not a fan of Medeski, Martin and Wood, Medeski's playing in this context is outstanding. The group calls this a "gospel record" and indeed it is based on the bluesy, gospel style of music played in House of God churches. Robert Randolph learned his chops playing in the church, where the steel guitar is a featured instrument. There are several songs where Randolph and Luther Dickinson, of the Allstars, trade guitar licks that are reminiscent of the Allman Brothers in their heyday. Other songs have a Hawaiian slack-key guitar sound. This is a great CD and one that I highly recommend purchasing. I hear these guys are fantastic live, so if you have a chance to see them, do NOT pass it up!

Skip this album
I am amazed by the number of great reviews The Word received from enthusiastic listeners. Personally, I thought that this album was a sorry attempt at gospel jam. Bottom line: good musicians playing together don't necessarily make a good album.
The songs barely hold together while they are in full force, and seem to carry on through pure momentum. And they don't quite "end" - they just sort of screech to a halt. This kind of playing is expected from barroom bands and pickup jams - not the best players today's jam scene has to offer.
John Medeski's playing will disappoint any fan of the groove trio Medeski, Martin, and Wood. When he is audible at all, his playing is tasteless and uninteresting. The great Robert Randolph is at his worst, unfortunately, on pedal steel. His playing is painfully out of tune for much of the album, and serves as a clear example of why this album [is not my favorite]. It appears that The Word was little more than a pickup jam session at a studio, that judging by the recording quality, was miked with one microphone dangling in the middle of the room. This is easily the worst-recorded album I have heard in five years.
While there are some decent points on The Word, among them track 7 (I'll fly away), and track 3 (blood on that rock), most of the album sounds completely unrehearsed. Granted, sometimes this works - a famous example being Kind of Blue, which consisted entirely of first takes. But here it most certainly doesn't. The band sounds lost from start to finish, from the drummer's bizarre, misplaced time changes to Medeski's frightened keyboard work. I write this review because, as a fan of all musicians involved, I was extremely disappointed with The Word.

Finally, all my complaints against The Word could be put aside as poor recording, planning, and rehearsal, if there was something redeemable behind it all. There isn't. Randolph's playing is out of tune and annoying, from the piercing repeated notes for four or five measures, to the cheesy blues riffs he passes off as soul- they sound like they are out of the Mel Bay Guitar Manual. I love Medeski and Robert Randolph, and I am an avid blues, soul, gospel, and jam listener. But this album comes up short in every respect.

One of the best commercial releases of 2001
The Word, comprised of John Modeski (Modeski, Martin & Wood), Robert Randolph and the North Mississippi All-Stars, has supplied us with an amazing combination of rock, funk, jazz and even gospel. Learning to play the Sacred Steel (his steel-pedal guitar) in church, Robert Randolph will be a household name through his driving sound. It is music that attracts music lovers of all generations and tastes. One of the best I own, and certainly the best new cd of the past couple of years.

Eat a Peach 2002
Its different,but it really reminds me of Eat a Peach. A highly competant sacred Steel player who reveres SRV playing with group of musicians in the same midset. This is a jamming album that really cooks. A very pleasant surprise. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

In Step embraces blues and rock without compromising the primal joys of either. This is Stevie Ray Vaughan's best studio album and the first he recorded sober. "Travis Walk" offers a heady rush of flat-picking, "The House is Rockin'" is full-tilt roots-boogie, "Let Me Love You Baby" and "Leave My Girl Alone" are sweet blues epiphanies, and the nine-minute instrumental "Riviera Paradise" is a truly soulful mix of blues and jazz. By now, just a year before his untimely death, Vaughan had also tamed his bawling voice into a rich instrument. In short, this 1989 session is Vaughan at his artistic peak. And the four compelling live performances added to this reissue--"The House Is Rockin'," "Let Me Love You Baby," "Texas Flood," and "Life Without You," all from the In Step tour--prove there was no studio trickery involved. It's raw blues-rock perfection. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Reviews (48)

His best album and one of my top 5
I knew of Crossfire and Walkin' the Tightrope from the radio, and The House is Rockin' from sports stadiums. But it's the blues and Wall of Denial that blew me away. Buddy Guy's Leave My Girl Alone and Howlin Wolf's Love Me Darlin' (Or is that the real May I Have a Talk With You?) are emotion-tinged rock blues at its best. My only disappointment about these songs was their length. (I envisioned both songs as 9 minute jam sessions, but that would've tired the other bandmates out.) Whereas I liked the original Leave My Girl Alone for Buddy's screaming, Stevie's guitar solo did the trick for me here. As for Wall of Denial, this song transcends substance abuse. Sometimes I get angry at women for not wanting to date me for whatever reason, and I build up my own wall instead of buiilding up a new relationship. While I still struggle in tearing down my wall the way Stevie tore down his in late '86 and early '87, I know that it's going to "tumble down to the ground" eventually. As for the extra tracks, they speak for themselves. I don't have Soul to Soul yet (don't ask me why), so before I bought the remastered In Step, my only way of hearing Life Without You was in the snippet on VH1 Legends where he talked about his troubles. After hearing this version of Life Without You, I stood still for 10 minutes because I was so mesmerized by his rap and the two blistering solos where he hit some incredible high notes that I didn't think he was capable of hitting. The first time I played it at home, I sang the opening lyric differently: "Well hello Stevie, tell me how have you been, we all have missed you and the way you grin..." If any artist dares think about covering Life Without You, I wouuld strongly suggest using this lyric at the start. Rave On Stevie, and I'll see you someday at the real Great Gig in the Sky.

Good, although not his best
"In Step" is often cited by critics as Stevie Ray Vaughan's best studio album. And his playing on this album is actually a bit more economical, maybe even a bit more mannered, than on his earlier releases...whether or not that's a good thing is a matter of taste, I suppose.

The production is a bit more slick than usual as well, the tone of Vaughan's guitar is cleaner, and a keyboard player and occational horns have been added to the mix, but that's not to say that Stevie Ray Vaughan had gotten soft on his final solo album before his tragic death in 1990 - he just turned a little bit more towards rock rather than blues.

"In Step" opens with a blistering rocker, "The House Is Rockin'", followed by the bluesy "Crossfire", which features a superb solo by Vaughan.
"Tightrope" ventures into hard rock territory, but Stevie Ray's cover of Willie Dixon's "Let Me Love You Baby" is genuine blues-rock, and it is followed by a good reading of Buddy Guy's slow, tortured blues "Leave My Girl Alone". Vaughan didn't quite have the pipes to match the intensity of Guy's original, but he does a fine job with what he has, and the guitar playing is superb as usual.

"Travis Walk" is a funky, up-tempo instrumental with some great drumming by Chris Layton (who, incedentally, used to play drums for Buddy Guy and Lightnin' Hopkins). "Wall Of Denial" is pretty well known, but it is perhaps one of the lesser tracks on this album, with some fine guitar playing but not much in the way of either hooks or a real "groove" to grab a hold of the listener.

"Scratch n' Sniff", however, is a fine up-tempo rock song with some excellent boogie piano fills by keyboardist Reese Wynans, and a great solo by Vaughan.

Stevie Ray Vaughan can't quite pull off Howlin' Wolf's "Love Me Darlin' (May I Have A Talk With You)", but if you aren't familiar with the original, this version will actually sound pretty great, I guess. And finally, the original "In Step" album winds down with the excellent nine-minute instrumental "Rivera Paradise", a slow, moody piece.

The five extra tracks begin with a short interview snippet. The remaining four songs are all live performances: "The House Is Rockin'" and "Let Me Love You Baby" from "In Step", "Texas Flood" from Vaughan's 1983 debut album of the same name, and "Life Without You" from "Soul To Soul".
Stevie Ray Vaughan was a terrific live performer, and it's pure joy to listen to the raw, fiery live versions of the two songs from this album, which to me work better than the originals.

Highly recommended, as are all Vaughan's studio albums (although I don't agree with those who call it his best).
You should also check out the excellent "Live Alive" and "Live At Montreux 1982 And 1985", by the way.

The first three were great, but "In Step" made him a legend
"In Step" was released in the summer of 1989, and it was his first album sober. Stevie's singing and songwriting improved by leaps and bounds from "Texas Flood", and Double Trouble had gotten more involved in the songwriting process, writing Stevie's only number one hit, "Crossfire." It's a band-oriented album, instead of just showing off Stevie's extraordinary talents, which it does do quite frequently. It is such a powerful record, and so intriguing to listen to Stevie confess so openly about his use of drugs through songs like the funky "Tightrope" and "Wall Of Denial". These songs also produce two of the best solos he has the album. He also has fun as well, with rockers like "The House Is Rockin'" and "Scratch-N-Sniff". However, it the closer, "Riviera Paradise", that takes the cake. This quiet instrumental sounds like, as Stevie has described it, "praying through the guitar." For the expanded edition, there is a small interview about how he quit the last job he ever had, and four live songs, "The House Is Rockin'", "Let Me Love You Baby", "Texas Flood", and "Life Without You", which all absolutely smoke. If only Stevie could have lived on, then we would have all been in for a treat. R.I.P. SRV.

If God played blues guitar, he wouldn't be this good
SRV was the man. The greatest electric blues guitarist ever. Every cell of his being was permeated with musical genius, every pore oozed the blues. One of the greatest gifts Texas ever gave to the world.

One Of Stevie Ray's Best!
In Step is one of Stevie Ray Vaughan's best studio albums. I do like Texas Flood much better,his guitar was alot rawer and it sounded more soulful and real. In Step sounds way to good,rumor has it Stevie Ray was using dozens of amps on this studio album to get the perfect sound. I do love In Step for what it is I actually have the orginal CD without the bonus tracks. I think the orginal sounded wonderful I have not heard the CD with the bonus tracks. I think In Step was a turning point for Stevie to expand his sound and make it beautiful. In Step became one of the biggest radio hits. Thats where I first heard The House Is A Rocking one of my favorite songs. I also heard Crossfire, and Tightrope over and over on the radio.

Thats where I got started with In Step I loved all the songs on the radio so I bought it. For having a fake sound Steive never lost the blues. He still had the blues on Leave My Girl Alone with a more softer tone. I always loved Stevie Ray's studio albums but no one could compare to him when he was LIVE. I think for most In Step is a great way to get started with Vaughans music. Their still is his classics like Couldn't Stand The Weather, and Texas Flood. I always have stated In Step as One Of Stevie Ray's Best. This is a must have for anybody ready to listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Highly Recomened! ... Read more

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The velvety voiced Mo' shifts away from his usual matters of the heart to matters of the world on this disc of predominantly covers. He has also abandoned his bluesier roots in favor of a slicker, jazz-based pop. The result is a protest album for the double-latte crowd, most of whom can hum along to chestnuts from the Rascals ("People Got to be Free"), John Lennon ("Imagine"), and Bob Dylan ("The Times They Are A-Changin'"). While a jaunty banjo- and fiddle-flecked version of the Nick Lowe-penned "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" (popularized by Elvis Costello) uses a questionable rearrangement to convey the song's message, Mo' really connects when he raids the soul vaults for tunes by Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, and Donny Hathaway. It's a pleasant, subtle, and always professionally performed detour that's as comfy as a warm cup of hot chocolate on a chilly day. --Hal Horowitz ... Read more

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The title of this album tells you most of what you need to know about San Francisco blues rocker Tommy Castro. His first disc of original material in four years finds him back with the Blind Pig label and expanding his crackling R&B-drenched blues into a more rock-oriented sound. On Soul Shaker, Castro downplays the sizzling guitar that dominated his previous releases and focuses instead on songs and arrangements. The horns that pepper--and often power--tracks such as the frisky "What You Gonna Do Now?" push the soul element even further to the forefront. But it's Castro's gutsy, gritty vocals--something like a mix of Delbert McClinton and John Mellencamp--and his energetic approach that ignite these tunes.

Castro borrows Little Feat's New Orleans stomp for the swampy, slide-driven title track, shifts into Bob Seger territory on the thumping rocker "The Holdin' On," and even delivers a flute-powered song, "The Crossanova"--a lively instrumental cowritten by reed player Keith Crossan that wouldn't be out of place on an old Herbie Mann disc. "Take Me Off the Road" burns with ZZ Top hip-shakin' boogie. This may not be what established Castro fans expected, but by widening his scope and beefing up his sound the soul shaker has delivered his most satisfying and eclectic set in a decade-long career. --Hal Horowitz ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Not His Best!
Whether you like this or not will largely depend upon what your expectations are from TC. For me, I like TC's blues music with a touch of soul, bordering on James Brown. My expectations were met with the Grammy award winning Right as Rain. But this is not it and for me the CD is merely all right. On this disc Castro leans towards the sixty's R&B music and the songs bring to mind the Temptations and the Supremes rather than Muddy Waters or John Lee Hooker. Like Jonny Lang on his latest release, Castro tries to spread out to a broader group and, in my opinion, falls a little short. Castro is best seen live and maybe in that setting can do these songs some justice. Some times it is best just to stick to the formula and fan base that got you there. Castro is a little off the path.

Could Have Been Really Hot
Tommy Castro has always sort of been Stevie Ray Vaughan in Robert Cray's clothing. I'm not sure that I agree with the idea of downplaying the sort of string bending ability that Tommy has. I'm not saying that Tommy should "shred" but the occasional hot solo would pushed this one to a five. Instead, we get a hot rock and soul record with TC acting like a hired gun instead of the deadly killer that he is. "Let's Give Love a Try", "Just Like Me" and "The Holdin' On" give this a likeable Delbert McClinton feel that pushes this record past 3 stars and on to 4.

Should be Soul-less and Shake-less
This CD reminds me of the Robert Cray CD "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" where a good blues singer does an mediocre soul CD.But in this case a great blues guitarist and singer does an awful sell-out CD that mixes light rock with psuedo soul and strips out the searing electric blues guitar and roaring, crisp vocals that got them there.

It is great if you are on top of the world and can put out any music you like, but it is hard to believe anyone would like this watered down tripe...save your money for when Tommy comes to his senses and puts out a decent Blues CD, which he hasn't done since Gratitude, and that was not as good as his previous works...

The flute song is the only redeeming song on here, and while interesting it is not enough to make you want this CD.

Keith S. :{)>

Pretty good but not the best
I did enjoy the cd but it is not his best. I found this cd a bit to over produced and sounded a bit "canned"

I am sure he is still the best live and I will just love all these songs after I see him in concert.

Right as Rain and Exception to the Rule still ROCK and are must haves.

Come on Blind Pig throw the whole band in the studio push record and let the magic happen.

SOUL SHAKIN' down the house in NYC
Call me spoiled, sittin' here in Gotham with 18,000+ restaurants and most the world's great venues...we expect a lot.

The other night Tommy Castro hit town and brought down the house at B. B. King's in Times Square.Music's a funny thing. Sometimes, like Chinese food, it's not as much the product as it is the quality of delivery.Castro set about assuming command of Times Square with a stirring delivery of a GREAT product!

By the time he's in "Wake Up Call" it's obvious this is not just any night at B. B. Kings.I figured that having seen Eric Clapton raise the live performance bar at MSG that I'd seen it all, I was wrong.

No sooner does Castro have total control of the crowd that he throws a change up with Anytime Soon and follows up by a foot tapping The Crossanova.Get there tunes in your head and your "Catro-ized".

I'm back to Kings tonight for another dose and perfectly cognizant that I'm gonna tough to impress again for a bit.

Bonus points to Castro for taking time, as the King's staff tried to root folks out for the next show, for taking lots of time to visit with a throng of fans following the show.Seeing a "walk on glass to get to" performance in NYC and hearing the words "thank you" afterward speaks volumes.

Great music, nice guy, knocks your socks off delivery...the bar's been raised again.

Courtney Canfield
New York City
... Read more

Reviews (14)

Not as fresh, but more polished
Sounds like Johnny A. likes his new guitar. When his first effort on Favored Nations Records met with unexpected success, he not only got an offer to do a second one, but Gibson built and named a snazzy new guitar in his honor. The result? The CD cover looks like a Gibson ad, but the music does not disappoint.
A.'s first album, "Sometime Tuesday Morning," seduced guitar geeks and music lovers alike with its thick, smoky textures, sexy rhythms, and a couple of very tasteful chord melody covers of classic pop songs. It was a collection that served well for careful listening or for filling the air.
This new album, "Get Inside," is another good listen with many of the same qualities to recommend it. Here's my take after one listen.
Some of the new tunes sound like embellished evocations of themes from the first set with, again, a couple of really well-done instrumental covers (Johnny Rivers' "Poor Side of Town" and Jimi Henrix's "The Wind Cries Mary"). This album sounds a little more ensemble focused than the first, which was basically solo guitar with a rhythm section. There's more interaction between the instruments here, with sax and trumpet even appearing occasionally, as well as a lot of rhythmic handclapping and other percussion. A. mixes up his rhythms and textures for maximum interest, transitioning between clean, thick, humbucker sound and overdriven wah wah. The last two tracks feature some reverse loopy type of stuff ala Bill Frisell to add a slightly new flavor to the mix. All in all, the arrangements seem a little more complex this time around.
Where the first album really hooked me right from the top with the catchy title tune, this album keeps my attention, but doesn't quite grab me as irresistably. Maybe that means it will grow on me as I listen to it more, which I certainly will.
A. is a seasoned guitar veteran with finely honed chops and a soulful approach to his instrument (did I mention he has a new one?). No sophomore slump here, but I begin to wonder if he can keep his sound and style fresh.
Overall, this is a great album that once again should draw fans from the pop and smooth jazz crowd as well as the fret climbers. If you liked the first one, you'll like this. If you missed the first one, buy 'em both. You won't regret it.

Superb Instrumentals from a Gifted Musician
Johnny A is a guitarist's guitarist with speed, chops, and tone to die for, but you don't have to be a slack-jawed, green-with-envy guitar geek to find "Get Inside" rewarding and enjoyable. Johnny's musicality, versatility, and taste set him apart from the run of guitar gods. Like "Sometime Tuesday Morning," Johnny's first solo CD, "Get Inside" consists mostly of original compositions -- real songs that have a beginning, middle, and end -- along with a couple of well chosen covers. Most tracks are three to four minutes long, and their brevity reflects the intelligence and restraint that went into the performances. Johnny's stylistic influences run the gamut from Hendrix and Santana to Wes Montgomery and Chet Atkins, but he's got a distinctive sound of his own that brings cohesiveness to the varied material here. There's a lot to appreciate on this disk; it's instantly accessible but rewards repeated listening. Truly terrific.

NOT for Shredheads
First off, this is not a shredfest. Johnny A. is more about monster tone than monster chops, although he definitely has both of these qualities in his playing. Exquisite phrasing and rystal clear articulation are words that come to mind when describing his style. The music covers a broad range of styles and infuences, blues, jazz, rockabilly and more. The supporting musicians are all excellent, drummer Ron Stewart's contribution is standout. Add top-notch recorded sound to the package for an outstanding disc.

Superb ......
90% of my purchases are guitar instrumental albums, the rest are guitar albums which include singing, such as Sonny Landreth. In most cases, after reading, and buying on the strength of reviews, I have high expectations which are only rarely met.

In this case, those expectations are massively surpassed ( as they were with Joe Bonamassa, Andy Timmons and Greg Koch ). Johnny A really knows how to 'swing', and that is a feel that is so sorely lacking in most guitar music today.

After listening to "get inside" for the first time, there were only a couple of tracks that did not instantly bring a smile to my face. This is not GUITAR music ... it is MUSIC which happens to be played on the guitar - brilliantly

His tone is, or should I say, tones are simply fantastic. Johnny A has a unique ability of mixing several tones within phrases which add a huge amount of interest to whatever he is playing.

STM took some time to grow on me, whereas GI is instant. I think this is because of the groove he sets up right from the start, and even in "the wind cries Mary" he maintains his own inimitable sense of rhythm and turns a brilliant song into a completely different, brilliant song.

What a wonderful album ... and a lesson to a whole host of admittedly fantastic guitar players turning out, what is basically, the same CD over and over again.

Smokin'
Simply put the best instrumental guitar album in years! Johnny A covers all genres with feel, precision and expertise. NOT, I repeat NOT just for guitarists, this CD is listenable from beginning to end. Each composition is totally melodic and memorable. There is something for everyone's taste in music. A beautiful follow-up to a near perfect debut CD. Buy it, buy it, BUY IT!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Originally released on Impulse in 1966, It Serves You Right to Suffer may not contain John Lee Hooker's better-known material, but it does serve up eight tracks of topnotch blues, complete with the boogie groove that Hooker does so well. The digital remastering for this CD is a blessing; the recording sounds almost as clean as one made today. That prevents the listener from being distracted from this album's many delights: the uptempo, low-key "Shake It Baby"; the relaxed but rhythmically tight "Country Boy"; the danceable "Bottle Up & Go"; and the slow, sexy shuffle of "Sugar Mama." Especially worth hearing, however, is the title track, which strikes a perfect tension between musicality and mood. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Best studio Hooker album
This cd is usually found in the cut out bins where it does not belong, this cd smokes anything he has done in the last ten years with all of the multi contributing artist to his 90's work. This cd recorded in 1965 is better than anything Clapton,Page or Stevie Ray ever dreamed of. If you want to find any blues close to this caliber, you are going to have go and buy T Bone Walker's Stormy Monday (live) from 1971 with Paul Pena on guitar or som John Hammond. The only other artist that is alive and writes such brooding blues inflected tunes is Tom Waits.

One of the best blues records you will ever hear- I think
John is great by himself or with a band. This is the perfect example of him with a band. Some of the greatest backing musicians who in no way intrude but only compliment Hooker's style of either driving rythms or slow dinning hypnotizing slow blues. Hooker does only 8 songs at about 32 minutes but all classics. This isn't like when hooker teams up with rockers who maybe were great at what they did but didn't do what Hooker himself did. This is a few musicians who understand Hooker's work and play off him and with him, rather than over him. Shake it baby is Rockin' Blues like Hooker could always do without losing the straight blues soul. Country boy is long story tellin' blues and Bottle up and go is as said in the liner notes- Delta Dance music. You're wrong is pure Hooker style- Rythmic Blues, not Rythm and Blues- Blues with lots of solid rythm. THere is a difference. Sugar Mama, A classic because it takes the old theme that hooker arranged new so long before that and changed it around. Instead of praising the sugar sweet woman- He tells her the praise has gone to her head and he's got a new sugar mama, that's John Lee. Decoration day is one of those blues that rolls around slow on the same chord until it almost drives you crazy. It is an old blues song that is one of the most dark and sad traditional songs. About a woman who tells her man before she dies, to decorate her grave on every Memorial or Decoration day. I think that is basically it anyway. Then a solid Take on Berry Gordy's Money which several bluesmen seem to like and perform. Hooker does it with the same group plus old friend and trombone player for the Basie Band -Dicky Wells doing a just right accompaniment. Then it serves you right to suffer in the same way as Decoration day, is some advice to forget about the past. All in all it is the best example of John with a band backing him. Perfect record I think. In everything he does I think he is one of the most believable bluesmen. He means it when he says it and he's there when he sings it and plays it. I have played this record straight through more than most any other blues record I have.

"and one more, and one more, and one more"
For any Blues fan John Lee Hooker is an all too familiar name and this reissue disc shows any who would question his Legend status why he holds the title. Every song is superb, classic Hooker. You'll find yourself playing the album straight through again and again. The best songs here are "Shake It Baby", "Country Boy", "You're Wrong" and the title track "It Serves You Right To Suffer".

A must have album for Blues fans new or old.

LESSER KNOWN HOOKER
THIS CD IS A REISSUE OF MATERIAL FIRST RECORDED BY JOHN LEE HOOKER IN NOVEMBER OF 1965 AND SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASED IN 1966. WHILE THE SONGS ON THIS DISC ARE NOT AS WELL KNOWN AS HOOKER'S "BOOGIE CHILLEN", THEY ARE EVERY BIT AS GOOD. IF YOU ARE A FAN OF JOHN LEE HOOKER THEN THIS CD BELONGS IN YOUR COLLECTION. WHILE YOU ARE AT IT, CHECK OUT THE COLLABORATION OF JOHN LEE HOOKER AND JAZZ MASTER MILES DAVIS ON THE SOUNDTRACK CD "THE HOT SPOT". IT IS ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL AND A MUST HEAR FOR ANY FAN OF THE BLUES AND LATE NIGHT SENSUOUS JAZZ.

Mr. Hooker is a force to be reckoned with.
If you don't already have this album, then you've got all the sense of a salted tree sloth. ... Read more

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Released after Vaughan's death in a 1990 helicopter accident, The Sky Is Crying collects unreleased studio tracks from throughout the guitarist's recorded career. In Vaughan's early years, he was a stylist who thought nothing of using ten notes when three would have worked. Rock stardom, cocaine, and alcohol did little to temper his tendency towards overstatement, but by In Step, his last studio album (and first clean-and-sober effort), he'd begun to transcend his many influences to forge a hard-boiled style of his own. The collection documents this passage, starting with unreleased covers of Lonnie Mack's "Wham" and Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" from the time of his debut album. "The Sky Is Crying" was originally cut by Elmore James, but Vaughan's lead guitar owes its stylistic debt to the bluesman who had a most profound influence on his playing, Albert King. The highlights are two tracks cut at the time of In Step--the hard-edged "Boot Hill," with Vaughan on slide guitar, and "Life by the Drop," in which Vaughan accompanies himself on acoustic guitar and toasts a life that would end far too soon. --John Milward ... Read more

Reviews (37)

A Life-Changing Event...
That's not hyperbole. Man, I still remember it. It was 1995. I was browsing in a record store and came upon this album. I didn't know who the hell it was-- it wasn't like anything I would usually buy-- but I decided to try sometehing different. I was blown right out of my pants. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I played the tape so many times in 6 months that it started to wear out. It made me want to learn to play, even though I never thought about playing the guitar before-- it was that good, that moving.

Every song on this CD is amazing. How can you talk about good and better when you've reached this level of mastery? You can't. It's like asking which van Gogh painting is your favorite. Still, could you ever buy a van Gogh for under $20?

That being said, there is one song on this CD that is maybe the best pure electric guitar ever recorded: "Little Wing" is a masterpiece among masterpieces. It has it all: such feeling in the slow sections that you cry, such blistering guitar in the power sections that you are stunned, and such subtle mastery throughout that you can hear different nuances each time you listen to the song. Just check out when and how he uses the natural harmonics-- and how he even throws in the Wes Montgomery Jazz/octave work-- each in exactly the right place. This guy wasn't just a guitar maniac-- he was a Master, with a capital "M"-- and on top of it all, he was a wonderful, caring man.

Putting "Life by the Drop" as the last song on the compilation is almost too much for me to handle-- knowing that, when that last note finishes resonating, there will NEVER be any more...

I cry every time I see his bio on MTV-- when I think about that helicopter crash.

There is something wrong with a world in which a man like this gets only 35 years.

I cry.

Can you see the tears roll down the street...
On August 27, 1990 the sky was crying and then over a year later Jimmy Vaughan released a compilation of studio outtakes of his brother Stevie and it started all over again. The Sky Is Crying by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble displays the consummate skill and depth of feeling that Stevie was capable of expressing.
When I first listened to it after its release I remember the strong sense of loss revisited.

The Sky Is Crying has a choice of songs which represent the various emotional faces which Stevie could present through his awesome guitar playing. It starts with the morbid and bitter blues standard Boothill and closes with the hopeful acoustic version of the Doyle Bramhall song Life by the Drop. Stevie Ray Vaughan was well grounded in the blues both by tradition and lifestyle. With The Sky Is Crying Jimmy Vaughan chose songs in which Stevie tipped his hat to various influences in the development his music voice. From the tender guitar playing of Hendrix's Little Wing to the buoyant version of Lonnie Mack's Wham we can hear the influences on Stevie. Also among the songs covered are the Elmore James song The Sky Is Crying, Howling Wolf's May I Have a Little Talk with You and Willie Dixon's Close to You.

To me all the songs are brilliant and I can't imagine my blues library without this cd, but I would purchase it for Life By the Drop, a song I dearly love. It represents so clearly the renewal which Stevie Ray Vaughan had started on and which was tragically left unfulfilled.

You're livin' our dream, wo you on top
My mind is achin', Lord it won't stop
That's how it happens livin' life by th' drop

For those interested in getting a taste of Stevie Ray Vaughan's music throughout the years this is a cd provides an excellent sampling of music. For the Stevie Ray Vaughan fan this cd is a must.

Guitar heaven
As Eric Clapton has said, Stevie had a direct line running from his heart to the guitar neck, bypassing his brain altogether. It means he didn't have to think ahead about what he was going to play, it just flowed straight through. This album is a great example of that statement. He OWNS the guitar and utilizes every avenue of his technique and mastery to produce sounds that no other guitarist will ever produce. That sound comes from his daily practicing, his strength and his dedication to his influences. While these are definitely outtakes, I believe they more clearly represent SRV's Texas R&B roots than any other cd. And, while risking redundancy from other previous reviews, "Little Wing" is pure guitar heaven. Those of us who knew him and loved him and his artistry know without a doubt that that's where he's playing now.

Blues At Its Very Best!!!
I believe Jimmie Vaughan was truly inspired when he chose this collection of songs for his brother's posthumous CD. It is absolutely flooring. All the other reviews for this CD shed plenty of light on the most outstanding tracks (Little Wing, Boot Hill, etc.), except I didn't see too much mention on the title track, which I want to focus on. IT IS THE BEST SLOW BLUES SOLO EVER RECORDED! I'm not kidding--I've heard a lot of blues guitar and I play myself, but on that track he hits nuances and phrasing and TONE that just makes me explode, no matter how many times I've heard it (and I've heard it lots)! He takes the five-note pentatonic blues scale and does everything possible with it! One review complained that the song sounds too much like "May I Have A Little Talk With You"--well, geez, how many slow blues songs have been recorded over the past 100 years that sound basically the same? Thousands! Each recording has its own "stamp", and that's what you've got to hone in on in order to appreciate these on-the-surface "similiar" recordings, including the two on this CD. If you think they're too similar, then you're not listening close enough!!!

As good as a "real" album
This collection of outtakes from Stevie Ray Vaughan's previous album sessions, released the year after his tragic death, is actually as solid and enjoyable as most of his "real" albums.

It is bluesier than "In Step", recalling his first album, "Texas Flood", and it features an alternative take on the delightful, swinging "Empty Arms" (from "Soul To Soul") and nine previously unreleased songs, including fine renditions of Howlin' Wolf's menacing "May I Have A Talk With You" and Elmore James' immortal "The Sky Is Crying".

Stevie Ray Vaughan's too rarely heard slide playing smoulders on the morbid "Boot Hill" (an alternative version of Elmore James' "Look On Yonder Wall"), which is also highlighted by Reese Wynans' wonderful piano playing.
And Vaughan's guitar playing on this album includes some of the best performances of his career - just listen to that purely instrumental version of "Little Wing", and Lonnie Mack's "Wham" as well.

"The Sky Is Crying" also features Willie Dixon's "Close To You", a supremely jazzy "Chitlins Con Carne", the SRV orginal "So Excited" (also an instrumental), and finally one of Vaughan's best-ever performances, an acoustic solo rendition of Doyle Bramhall's wonderful survivor story "Life By The Drop". Sublime "live" vocal on that one, one of the best things Stevie Ray Vaughan ever committed to tape. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Stinging urban blues by way of Texas and Memphis distinguish Robert Cray's major-label debut, which followed three strong independent releases. Here he fleshes out his sound with bursts of brassy Southern soul courtesy of the Memphis Horns, but keeps his pungent, steely guitar solos out front in an engaging dialogue with his plaintive vocals. Released in 1986, Strong Persuader signaled that Cray, as a writer--like his contemporary Stevie Ray Vaughan--had something to say about his interior life beyond the usual bluesman's laments, an approach that pays homage to the music's rich traditions while suggesting new areas of inquiry. --David McGee ... Read more

Reviews (22)

A great collection of music
I first heard "Smoking Gun" when I was 16 and was blown away. In the era of hair bands and glam metal, Robert Cray quietly hit the scene and showed how he was alot better than what was big at that time. Funny how he is still making music and most if not all of the hair bands are gone. This disc is from top to finish a great collection of music. We have some serious slow blues like "Right Next Door" and Smoking Gun, and some faster tunes like Nothin' But A Women and I Guess I Showed Her. Not only are we able to see how much knowledge of the blues Robert Cray has, But we also get an insight to his knowledge of classic soul and R&B. This CD is still strong after 14 years and I still am totally into it.

News from the front
If there is a war between men and women, Robert Cray's songs are like casualty reports straight from the front. The music shows a serious knowledge not merely of blues (although that would be quite enough), but of deeply-rooted gospel and R&B (who cannot love the Wilson Pickett-style horns on "I Guess I Showed Her?"). This is matched well with the personal details Cray adds to his lyrics. In "Foul Play," we can almost hear the protagonist's paranoia and fear. In "I Guess I Showed Her," he glowers triumphantly at dumping an unfaithful spouse, only to reveal his hurt pride at the very end of the song, in the fadeout. In "Right Next Door (Because of Me)," he is a womanizer feeling--one thinks for the first time--pangs of guilt over the seduction of yet another wife. While not a replacement for recordings by the blues greats of old, this is an incredible CD.

A classic!
Robert Cray took the music scene by grit force with this sexy original album. His voice croons like maple syrup and his guitar player is edgy and raw. This is a classic album at the beginning of a stella career as Mr Robert Cray has gone on to receive 11grammy nominations and won 5 ." The album has a flow and I never get bored of listening to it. An album not to be missed and one that belongs in any serious music collection.

Leave this in your cd changer
It's like butta- it just melts around you and you sort of forget it's there though it becomes your personal soundtrack. Yo Cray man, you gotta throw in some lousy tunes now and then! When you have an album of all 10's it's almost too perfect. But hell, I can't argue. Put this on when you got that special lady over- it'll turn her loose quickstyle.
I'm glad you were doin your own thing in Hail Hail Rock and Roll by the way...keep it real.

Paint-by-the-numbers so-called blues...
I knew Robert Cray's music before I bought this CD, having seen him appear as a guest artist in video of a Tina Turner concert. However, after thoroughly investigating Chicago and Delta musicians of the Blues' Golden Age (1930s to mid 1960s), I thought I should give him a fair hearing to see what all the fuss was about. Sure, I expected the music to be in the broad-appeal, slick vein and that it would not be something that I would put on as often as, say, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Hooker, Guitar Slim et al, but I did not expect it to be some of the most vapid music that I have ever heard, regardless of genre. Cray's lyrics are strictly paint-by-the-numbers on a the Love-Gone-Wrong theme. At times, they are so corny and banal that I wince. The music is souless and totally unoriginal. At best, Cray has the technique to be a good session guitarist but there are plenty of session guitarists out there that play as well as he does. If someone tells you that if you are going to have only one blues CD, this is the one, you will know that person knows nothing about the blues. Try this quick (but time-wasting) test: listen to Strong Persuader(at least give poor Bob a break by listening to him first) and then listen to Muddy Waters: His Best 1947-1955 (MCA/Chess) and ask yourself if the two CDs are even from the same genre. The music on Strong Persuader is: totally banal, irrelevant, and an insult to the intelligence....TO AVOID ... Read more