Editorial Review

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 Read more

Reviews (12)

Robert just Grooooooves!
Ok, I want to write this review in regards to Robert who to me has the most wonderful voice ever! I say this because as a guitar player He makes you realize just how good he can be and versatile in his playing, But its his voice that blows me away every album he does he gets just better! This album is different and he shows this on "my Last Regret". It makes me want to sip some whiskey at an all night blues club and groove until the sunsets! It brings back the originality of blues and what it is to play blues. Hes a master and all his albums have gems on them. this is no exception, its a great album and if you like Robert(and his band) or blues remember hes been around a long time and keeps pushing out killer albums. Poor Johnny and Twenty about a soldier in iraq is very appropriate. and sad because im a veteran and have felt used up and wondered where do i go from here.. and have had trouble dealing with my life after the army!. I can serve my country and fight but cant get a job at a wal-mart here!. promises they dont keep anymore is so true ! This is a true album and one of Roberts and his bands best! he really thought about these songs!Him and his ole Fender!im a fan of his for life!he soothes me!and cools me! from "i know you will"! hes just cool!

Three and a half stars
More of the same from Mr. Cray & Company. Noteworthy that the album is strong all the way through; not the usual front-load & then drop-off you get from most artists. Twenty, his "protest song" is effective because it's not pedantic, but in Robert's usual "slice of life" style. They even throw in a waltz time. Read some of the other reviews here as well. We're pretty much all saying the same thing.

Average Robert Still Great
Like Van, or the Stones, Robert Cray has a formula that works for him. I am a huge fan and have been since day 1. I like the silky, smooth vocals and Stax/soul feel to his brand of blues. He does however need to branch out a little. Maybe back to some Chicago blues or swing a little but he has sounded a tad 'repeated' on the last few discs. I'd like to see his voice highlighted more (EX. "Don't Break This Ring"...from 'A Shame and a Sin', incredible) and his guitar work put to the forefront. Yes, a little repepitive but 'already done' Cray is better than most stuff out there. Love to hear a live album from him!! Check yourself back into the 'Done We Wrong' motel lyrically, leave the politicalmusings to others. Don't get me wrong, a great disc, but no new charted waters musically. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Contemporary Blues    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. Soul-Blues   

Editorial Review

Although this is his first nationally distributed album, Eric Lindell is probably already tired of hearing himself tagged as "blue-eyed soul." But there is truth in that description. Sounding somewhat similar to Delbert McClinton and, with his lanky frame and scraggly beard, looking a bit like a tattooed young Bruce Springsteen/Tom Waits mashup, Lindell has the pipes, the style, and the songs to break out of his bluesy niche and into the mainstream. Recorded at various times in California and New Orleans with a revolving cast of musicians, Read more

Reviews (6)

Better Than I expected
Fell in love with the first song that I heard on the radio (Change in the Weather).Love every song on the CD. It's a fun CD.

simply excellent
This is an absolutely excellent collection of songs.While it is reminiscent of other blues artists, and there might even be a very slight touch of Grateful Dead influence, the sound is fresh.You won't be disappointed.

AddictingMusic
One of the best pieces of music I have heard in awhile.Not your traditional blues, more of a blend of a number of different types of music.Each song is different, but the CD has a certain rhythm that has you humming long after the CD ends.My favorite is "All Alone", great slow dance song that makes you want to pull that someone special in close and whisper in her ear.Another song, "Uncle John", is another one of my favorites, that has toes tapping and singing along.Highly suggest this CD to anyone who loves music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Contemporary Blues    3. Pop    4. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Like the late Chris Whitley (to whom the banjo-driven "Handful of Arrows" is dedicated), Kelly Joe Phelps initially built a following through the sharpness of his chops, but would rather be known for the strength of his songs. Thus this stripped-down exercise in musical intimacy draws attention to lyrics set to homespun melodies, with an occasional fiddle, pedal steel, melodica, or keyboard augmenting Phelps's acoustic accompaniment. Though there's a stately grace to country-tinged tunes such as "The Anvil" and "Tight to the Jar," some of his wordcraft is so oblique and self-consciously poetic that it resists translation.From the opening of "Loud as Ears": "Old, dark ruby coats his throat / gloves a feathered mind / sharpens up her fountain pen." Huh? Yet the music is always eloquent, and there's a tenderness to Phelps's Dylanesque phrasing. With three instrumentals among the dozen tracks, he pays tribute to Dave Van Ronk on "MacDougal," with the sort of ragtime picking that made its way from the Mississippi Delta to the Greenwich Village folk scene. Read more

Reviews (2)

Would have been better as an instrumental
This guy is an amazing musician, he rolls his fingers all over that guitar like rain rolls of a rooftop.The music is out of this world and all one can do and sit there and marvel in it.
tunesmith retrofit
so much yearning in that voice -- bottom and top -- no other guitar player can make the instrument swim such deep currents --each release of his is full of surprise and nuance -- and his stories sit with you -- they're full of eyes. "Spanish Hands" and "Crow's Nest" are highlights...
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Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Contemporary Blues    3. Folk-Blues    4. Modern Acoustic Blues    5. Pop    6. Slide Guitar Blues    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Of all the side projects cooked up by former cast members of Read more

Reviews (24)

Blues? Kinda... Fun? Absolutely.
Face the facts: the Blues Brothers started out as a Saturday Night Live sketch. The frontmen were the guy who was the samurai and the guy who played Julia Child. Belushi and Aykroyd knew how to make music fun on and off Saturday Night Live. This best of collection is a wild and highly enjoyable testament to how good the original cast members were, even if it is only two of them.
RIGHTEOUS "BROTHERS"
Yeah, I know, i know...Brother Jake has long gone to that great greasy roadhouse in the sky. Granted, the Blues Brothers, especially today, are more a product than a real band. True, even when they WERE an actual working unit, all the roots-purist detractors claimed their brand of blues was about as authentic as a near-beer. But damn it all, these cool cats introduced me to the likes of Sam and Dave, Junior Wells, Solomon Burke, and countless other RNB masters when I was just a naive teen hopelessly hooked on KISS and Meat Loaf. Maybe John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd were no Ray Charles or Little Walter in the vocal and harp departments respectively, but they had heart 'n soul to spare and were shrewd enough to surround themselves with living legends of the musical world. The Stax studio dream team of former MG's Steve "The Colonel" Cropper and Duck Dunn, plus Matt "Guitar" Murphy, were legitmate old pros on beloved standards like RIOT IN CELL BLOCK #9, WHO'S MAKIN' LOVE, SWEET HOME CHICAGO, GOIN' BACK TO MIAMI and HEY BARTENDER.Most important of all, hearing these renditions made me want to check out the originals, which of course, have never been bested. So, Jake and Elwood, for introducing me to my first musical love, the blues, a heartfelt thank-you. You will forever remain Brothers in my soul. RATING:FIVE FEDORAS
High Energy and Great Fun
The Blues Brothers were a sideline for two very talented men.Their sideline produced some very good blues and some great fun for everyone.Much of this is "live" and you can tell how much fun the performers and the audience is having.20 tracks, Ray Charles, Aretha, Soul Man and a Rubber Biscuit on one CD.
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Subjects:  1. Electric Blues    2. Novelty    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. R&B    6. Retro-Soul    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Soul    10. Soul-Blues    11. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Released after Vaughan's death in a 1990 helicopter accident, Read more

Reviews (41)

The Sky is Falling
Music triggers memories for me and this disk brought back some wonderful memories about where my life was at that time.

My Favorite Stevie Ray Album
I love all of Stevie Ray Vaughan's music, but this album is my personal favorite. Maybe it's because he really shows his blues roots here more than on any previous album. All of the cuts on this album are great, but if I had to pick my favorites it would probably be "Wham!", "Boot Hill" and "Life By The Drop" for my top 3. Stevie's guitar playing is amazing as always and listening to this album (which was released after his death) only makes it more agonizing to think how much more great music this man could have put out if he were still alive. As far as I'm concerned, Stevie is right up there with Jimi Hendrix as the best rock/blues guitarist of all time. I remember reading an issue of a guitar magazine that showed results for people's votes on the greatest (rock/blues) guitarists of all time. Stevie was all the way down at number 13 and if that isn't bad enough Kurt Cobain was higher than Stevie at number 11! Saying that Kurt Cobain was a better guitar player than Stevie Ray Vaughan is like saying that Kenny G is a better saxophone player than Charlie Parker! Give me a break!

Lovingly Produced Tribute
All these years later, this is still a difficult disc to listen to.Read the liner notes, which include comments by Stevie's brother Jimmy, Double Trouble bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton - as well as Stevie himself.In sum, these comments and other historical tidbits provided by Dan Forte make for a poignent backdrop to these excellent outtakes.The tunes work just fine as an album, pointing towards Stevie's own inspirations, including Elmore James, Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters and Lonnie Mack.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Electric Texas Blues    4. Modern Electric Blues    5. Modern Electric Texas Blues    6. Pop    7. Popular Music    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop    10. Texas Blues   

Editorial Review

Read more

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (20)

Not a bad song on here
A lot of Albert King's stuff has been turned into dull blues-rock cliches, but you can't blame him for that.This album is an incredibly satisfying experience.The songs are all well-written and arranged perfectly.Albert King may not have been the most versatile guitarist, but his playing always sounds good and he knew what to play and when to play it.Crosscut Saw and Personal Manager have two of the greatest guitar solos I've ever heard (I also like Albert's habit of saying things like "Watch this", "heads up", and "Woo!" during his solos).The Hunter is catchy like the flu.I Almost Lost My Mind is one of the prettiest blues songs you'll ever hear.If you like blues you will love this album.

Albert King: Born Under a Bad Sign
A great introduction to Albert King, this is a collection of Stax hits for release on the radio, so all the tracks are short, not much stretching out!I am a blues guitar player who is having a ball learning these songs.This great bluesman had a unique style that influenced Clapton and SRV.I didn't care for tracks #'s 7, 10, 11.I highly recommend this CD!

Excellent, though tracks are very short
Albert absolutely wails on both guitar and vocals. Not a single moment is wasted, though the opportunity to waste moments isn't really allowed. The album, especially Albert's playing, is truly breathtaking and thus the only complaint is, as another reviewer said, that they fade the tracks out right when it sounds like Albert is heating up. Still, this album is very highly recommended and it's influence on rockers/blues-rockers can be heard more clearly than that of nearly any other blues album. If you are familiar with Cream's seminal Disraeli Gears, then you will especially enjoy this, as Clapton's work on that album is heavily inspired by this album. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Pop   

Reviews (4)

Amazing Set has only one flaw
Too bad a track listing sheet w/ release date or recorded date & label info isn't included for every track.Other than that, this is a real work of art.

A Truer Title Can't Be Found
This is really the stuff dreams are made of.
The Dead Sea Scrolls of Neurotic Obsessives!
This collection of 78 sides from the 20s and 30s contains rarities from the vaults of a handful of America's most obsessive record collectors. The songs themselves deal with things most Americans still face today - digging ginseng, being terrorized by bulldogs, talking with Jesus, loving chicken, etc. The artists are mostly obscure but you don't need to be a Georgia Potlickers completist to appreciate the music.
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Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Jazz Collections    3. Pop    4. V/a Compilations   

Editorial Review

While it didn't do for Louisiana music what the film Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (19)

One Of The Best
We loved the movie and discovered the sound track. As a New Orleans regular this CD just adds to the mood when we are back home. I predict you'all will jus' love it.

the best single disc intro to the music of new orleans
the keyword here is single disc.the whole album clocks in just under 47 minutes.don't know why, but back then the standard running time for a cd is about 45 minutes, so that's at least 20 some odd minutes worth of music they could have put into this cd.of course, at additional right fee.perhaps that was why we couldn't tap into the music of new orleans a little deeper.
Fabulous!
I have seen this movie several times over the years and it never fails to delight me. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Cajun    3. Film Music    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Soundtrack    7. Soundtracks    8. Soundtracks & Film Scores    9. Traditional Cajun    10. Zydeco   

Reviews (8)

Ray Charles Sings for America
This is a great CD.The songs are by far some of his very
Ray at his Patrotic Best
I am the typical patrotic American and I just loved this collection of Ray Charles. Everytime I hear it I get chills up an ddown my spine and a tear in my eye. I would recommend this to every and all Americans.

Only one
Yes a definite Legend!! There a singer in the U.K. named Elkie Brooks, I always felt a duet between Ray Charles and Elkie Brooks, would have been something else. Alas! not possible. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Pop    3. Popular Music    4. R&B   

Editorial Review

In this 2003 performance from the Read more

Features

• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (11)

Not Perfect, but VERY Good!
Ms Tedeschi's rendition of "Angel From Montgomery" is worth the price of this CD.WONDERFUL!!!As great as Bonie Raitt does with the old John Prine tune, Tedeschi does better.Soulful and full of emotion.You feel the emptiness and the desire for that reprive. Just great!

Like a live best of
With material from all her earlier CDs and a Sly and Family Stone cover not previously available, this serves as a live greatest hits or best of. I've seen her a few times live and this is very represenataive of her concert work also. The guitar work is fine but you can see the later material is emphasizing her vocals more than her playing.

Susan Tedeski Rocks!
This is a fabulous CD of some of Susan's best songs!GREAT music with GREAT vocals as well as GREAT "jammin"!!!When you play it in your car, play it loud with the windows down to really appreciate it!!!!You'll be "jammin", too!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Contemporary Blues    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. R&B    6. Roots Rock   

Editorial Review

Think of Ry Cooder as a musicologist who makes learning fun. A particularly nifty collection from 1974, Read more

Reviews (19)

The Best Album Ever
Now that I have your attention, I would just like to say read David Bell's review herein and you will have a good idea how I feel about this album. Only I cherish it more. I have a cabin in the woods where I go to contemplate the world, and this CD is in the creaky old CD changer I keep down there. I play it over and over. I play it when I have the tribe over for a special dinner. I play on a sun dappled afternoon when I just want to drift away to a kinder time. I play it when I want to share something special with old friends. Ry Cooder seems like one of the kindest people on the planet, and his musicianship is only barely this side of heaven. I like, sort of, his new much acclaimed Buena Vista Social Club work, but I wish he would make another album/CD like this one for his long suffering long appreciative fans. "Into the Purple Valley" is almost as good, and some folks would say better. Anyway, I have never written a review, but this musical jewel deserves all the veneration we can muster.

All You Can Eat!!!
Rating:Off of the Chart
Ry at His Musical Best
Don't know how many people would agree that this is still the finest album Cooder has ever done but so be it. Every song is good. My only complaint is that the album isn't longer. Rys' slide playing is excellent here as is his acoustic fingerstyle and his warm, someone sarcastic voice is the perfect fit for the lyrics to these tunes, such as Fool For a Cigarette/Feelin' Good, the Salvation Army-esque Jesus On the Mainline and even Blind Blakes' Diddy Wah Diddy. You also get The Tattler, a song that Linda Rondstat had a hit with but this one's better ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Contemporary Blues    4. Country-Rock    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Roots Rock   

Reviews (5)

Great Canned Heat Compilation and Great Sound
This CD is great!It contains the very best and most comprehensive collection of Canned Heat singles.And, the recorded sound is extraordinary...much better than the original releases in most cases.If you like Canned Heat, whose legend continues to grow, then you will LOVE this CD.

The Bear is There
This album is by far the best compilation out there, if you wish a good solid concise overview of one of maybe a half-dozen bands who could make po bedevilled blues lovers like me and my friends git down on our knees and cry! real tears! because they were (and remain, dead or alive) one of the absolute best blues bands ever. The respect these guys had for their material is evident in every song, and they practiced long and hard, obviously, to get the sound they wanted. Buy this, at any price between ten and fifteen bucks, I'd say, it's worth it. You might want to pick up "Future Blues" as well. Contrary to what some revisionists now say, that was the LP we decided was the ultimate blues album, back in the day. Noone would never top that.(After awhile on our knees, weeping again)...I've haven't heard any better since.

The Very Best of Canned Heat
For fans of Canned Heat this is the best!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues-Rock    2. Boogie Rock    3. Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (15)

Great Seasonal Album
This is one of the most impressive period albums I own.Wonderful for the holiday season.Will miss it during the rest of the year.

The Most Beautiful Sounds I Have Ever Heard
A fluid and seamless piece of heaven that transcends all classical and holiday music. This is an OUTSTANDING non-traditional Holiday CD!!!Many voices come together as one in these enchanting verses sung in languages other than English. It is just enough language mix to appease and intrigue the soul but not too much so that the listener does not understand the lyrics.For example, the English verse is sung then a verse in German and then back to English.Emmanuel is written this way.Other languages include French (Angels we Have Heard on High) and even Catalan which is a dialect of Spain. Beautiful and Precise
When I was a kid, we used to listen to this album every Christmas (on vinyl).We often contrasted it with a Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas album we also had, the Mormons good for rousing anthems, Robert Shaw for more intimate and moving and, I think, more beautiful evocations of the Spirit of Christmas.Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Christmas    3. Christmas / Chanukkah    4. Christmas Music    5. Classical    6. Easy Pop    7. Holiday    8. Miscellaneous    9. Miscellaneous Music    10. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    11. Piano Blues    12. Sacred Choral Music    13. Secular Choral Music with Keyboard (or Continuo)    14. Vocal    15. Xmas Classical Vocal   

Editorial Review

With a slate of more than 200 shows a year, Ben Harper has never been an album-tour-album-tour kind of artist; for him and his fans, the stage is the ultimate proving ground. So after four studio albums, Harper has finally released his first official live set, a 25-song double-disc collection that surveys each of his four albums and adds a couple of well-executed, if not terribly inventive, covers. Disc one is electric and finds Harper and the Innocent Criminals tearing through their patented mix of rock, folk, soul, and blues. Yet, the solo-acoustic disc two is the true prize, putting the spotlight squarely on Harper's incredibly agile, versatile, and enormously moving voice. In this pared-down setting, Harper shows an uncanny ability to connect with his audience, offering one spellbinding performance after another. Culled from two years' worth of shows--no two songs are taken from the same concert--Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (82)

worthy
this recording doent fully convey the essence of his concerts. there are better recordings of each song one can find on morpheus or limewire. It is worth the money spent however, i just found that there were a lot more worthy performances of his out there.

To dig his music, you must bleed
Harper is one of the most eclectic and soulful artists that I've heard in my life and each time I listen to this live concert, it turns me inside out. When I am unable to understand my rage, my pain or pride, my bleeding, my state of mourning, my yearning for a lover, I play Woman in You, and I howl (shamelessly) along with Ben Harper, without censoring my fall and then my rise.
Best Live Album
If you have never heard any Ben Harper, or if you are the world's biggest Ben fan...this is the album for you!The double disc set really shows off Ben's versatility, grace, and style.This is one of my favorite albums of all time...it always makes me feel like I'm right at the show.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Jam Bands    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Features

• Original recording remastered
• Import

Reviews (4)

Long John's best
I first saw LJB in a local club in West London in 1964. In those days he was the main man and a moody young guy with a big nose sang when Long John wanted to take a break. His name was Rod Stewart- I wonder what happened to him?. Another of John's sidekicks, Reg Dwight, changed his name to Elton John (the John was in honor of Baldry) and I believe had some success in later years.
Notes from Wardour Street
This album was my first exposure to Long John; my oldest friend Mike had (and still has) a penchant for scouring used record stores and came home with a slightly used, well cared-for copy.He played it for me and I was hooked.That was 33 years ago and "It Ain't Easy" still stands as my favorite blues rock album.The humor he throws into "Conditional Discharge" (and later in the title track of his next project, "Everything Stops for Tea" ) speaks on a personal level,while the power of his vocals, keyboarding and the guitars of Ron Wood and Sam Mitchell gives raw pure emotion to every track.
Contravening a breach of the Peace
Sadly coinciding with the death of LJB, this is as good as it gets.
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Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues-Rock    3. British Blues    4. Pop   

Editorial Review

Gentle, graceful, subtle, sweet--these aren't descriptions generally applied to the blues, but they offer a sense of Mississippi John Hurt's uniqueness and enduring legacy. Rediscovered during the 1960s folk boom after last recording in the late 1920s, Hurt cut the three albums compiled here when he was in his early 70s. His conversational phrasing sounds as natural as breathing, while his ragtime-tinged fingerpicking on acoustic guitar reveals more complexity the closer you listen. Beyond blues classics like "Candy Man" (the sly sensualist wasn't referring to lollipops), Hurt's range encompasses everything from folkish narratives ("Talking Casey," "Spike Driver Blues") to Southern spirituals ("Nearer My God to Thee," "Farther Along"). Though Hurt died in 1966, shortly after the last of these sessions, the music still sounds so fresh, you can almost hear the twinkle in his eye. Read more

Features

• Box set
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (15)

Classic Blues
This compilation of Mississippi John Hurt's Vanguard recordings are classics. These albums were recorded in the 60's after he was re-discovered by a music industry full swing into folk, blues, and "old timey" music. The audio quality is superb, the songs are timeless, and the voice is amazing. A must have for any serious blues fan. Robert Johnson is not the end all, be all of delta blues. Check out Mississippi John Hurt.

A review and a question
First my review:
John Hurt recordings should be a Schedule One drug
John Hurt is without a doubt my favorite bluesman. His guitar work is seamless. If you'd like to buy some blues for easier listening, get these. Blues is to often absrasive, but all of that disolves in Hurt's world. This music is terminally infectious, and will most certainly carry me to my grave. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Traditional    5. Country Blues    6. Pop   

Editorial Review

New Orleans-bred folk-bluesman Smither has few peers. As a musician he's expanded the six-strings-and-foot-stomps delivery of John Lee Hooker into an elegant, original style that draws as much on the sweet jazz melodies of gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt as the spidery swing of country bluesman John Hurt. And his writing has a poet's eye for detail, as when he's pondering mortality on the disc's title track. There's also a gentle, sincere quality that comes through the dusty tones of his voice, until he drops it to a mean-eyed growl to capture the soul of characters like his "Crocodile Man"--loners condemned to live in the dark neglected corners of their own hearts. But for much of this album, Smither's coming from a happier place, where love and life are full of possibilities, and his blues are just another way of expressing joy and wisdom. Read more

Reviews (14)

Best CD yet from a great singer/songwriter
Be sure to check out Chris's cover of Crocodile Man!
Can listen to this over and over
I bought this CD shortly after it was released, and I don't get tired of listening to it. It's pleasantly folksy, the lyrics and tunes are interesting, and his singing voice is just different enough to keep my attention. It's a very relaxing CD, even though the songs aren't particularly slow. It's a keeper.

I want to own this music!Will shop tomorrow!
Tonight as I was driving home (again) I heard "Crocodile Man" on NPR.Although I hadn't heard anything about this album, I knew immediately that the foot-stomping artist was Chris Smither (having seen him in concert at least thrice)...but I also knew that the song was...Dave Carter's!This momentarily confused me, but I kept listening, and trying to figure out who is the female vocalist singing back-up (could it be Tracy Grammar?).Yes, Chris Smither has an amazing knack for making songs his very own, doesn't he?What an astonishing talent!If you haven't seen him in concert, I highly recommend the experience.And I'll buy the album tomorrow. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Contemporary Folk    3. Folk & Traditional    4. Folk-Blues    5. Modern Acoustic Blues    6. Pop   

Features

• Live

Reviews (3)

Production Bogs Down the Master
If you're a die-hard SRV fan of course you have to have this and all existing SRV music, because let's face it, the hunger for more SRV recordings never goes away, but personally I don't find this to be one of his best. To me, the production is very bass-bottom-heavy. The guitar has too much whammy in it. And that Hammond organ in the foreground drives me crazy. These elements combine to make the sound of the tracks too much the same, despite his stellar performance. But live performances are like fine wines, each has its own character and some you like more, some less.

Stevie was the best, and this is a great early show.
Where did this come from, and how did I miss that they were releasing this?Anyway, I've seen this show (a VHS copy of the Japanese comercal Laser Disc), and it's good stuff, so when I found this at the record store I picked it up right away.
stevie ray vaughan is the master of the stratocaster
stevie is to me, the greatest ive yet to hear... its talent alright, but its got lots and lots of soul with it... his music is the best of the best, all i can say.... i would love to have this album...srv will never die ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Electric Texas Blues    4. Modern Electric Blues    5. Modern Electric Texas Blues    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Texas Blues    10. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Harper's soulful musical mix continues to defy genre categorization and his growth as an artist continues to amaze. Read more

Reviews (123)

A combination of blues, jazz and hard rock
I love Ben Harper and this has to be his most creative CD yet.You can find Bens classc acoustic sound to high gain slide guitar to the delta blues and even some jazz.It is one of my favorites now.

Burn to Shine is a fantastic all purpose album....(4.5 stars)
Most of us in our mid-20's went through that Ben Harper phase around 2000 when he started touring campuses around the nation and the buzz built.Some of his other albums have come and gone but Burn To Shine is his masterpiece that will forever endure.It's his most even album and I still listen to it semi-regularly 5 years later.