Editorial Review

Recorded for a television program of the same name back in 1983, Read more

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Reviews (109)

A Classic...
This is a classic jam performance by two masters of the Blues.
Albert King In Session
I heard the song, "Don't Lie To Me" on a local blues station one night and was blown away.I don't typically write reviews, but this album is superb.I will boldly state that I think Albert King is better than B.B. King, and I am not alone in this belief.Stevie Ray Vaughn and Albert King create magic on this album.I enjoy Albert's playing so much that I typically skip past the SRV song (second song on the album) and continue on with Albert.Do NOT miss out on the enjoyment this album will give you.The sound quality is absolutely top notch, and the songs are great.Buy it and enjoy!

Mutual Admiration Society
It is clear that these 2 men liked each other and enjoyed trading solos. However,it is alsomuch more of an Albert King showcase, with standout performances of Ask Me No Questions, Don't Lie To Me , and Stormy Monday. What I like most about it is that it sounds so much better (i.e. dynamic and modern) than most of the old Albert King albums. This album really captures thehigh energy and power of a remarkable singer and guitarist(Albert King), and you canhear the musical roots of where Steve Ray's sound came from. It was misleading to list 11 cuts on the album , since 4 are simply fragments of conversation between the 2 guitar heroes. However the songs are lenghty, for example, Blues At Sunrise runs over 15 minutes,andthose conversations add to the overall feel of a live concert , even though it is a studio recording., Theonce in a lifetime combination of these 2 icons on the same album make this a real collector's item for blues fans ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. Soul-Blues    6. Urban Blues   

Editorial Review

The stage of Tennessee jam band festival Bonnaroo is an unlikely setting for the year's most important blues recording, but young firebrands North Mississippi Allstars pulled off a creative coup in June of 2004 with their Read more

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Reviews (10)

Great cd!
Love the NM Allstars and Bonnaroo was a great show! Listen to this cd all the time!

Holy Crap This Thing Is Good
I wanted to like the North Mississippi Allstars, they seemed to have all the makings of a great band, southern, blues rooted, and future minded, but their Cds just weren't ringing my bell.I had just about given up on them when SIRIUS starting playing cuts from this CD on the Jam_On channel.Since I liked what I was hearing, I decided to give these guys one more chance.Boy am I glad I did!!!This CD lit a fire under me like nothing had done since I first heard Fillmore East.
Great Hill Country Blues
I disagree about the sound quality.This is HILL COUNTRY BLues!It's sounds like that.This is a great example of that music style and it's a joy to listen to.I like kicking back to these guys - feels like a back porch on a summer night.It's earthy and REAL, not some sound studio contrived CD.Unfortunately, today most people are used the the big studio productions. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Trad Rock    2. Bass (Electric)    3. Blues-Rock    4. Drums    5. Guitar (Electric)    6. Keyboards    7. Organ (Hammond)    8. Pop    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop    11. Roots Rock    12. Slide Guitar    13. Southern Rock    14. Vocals    15. Vocals (Background)   

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Reviews (2)

Excellent....but not his best live recording
I was introduced to Delbert McClinton a number of years ago. Being a fan of Austin City Limits, I was watching his TV concert in 1989 and was blown away with his singing and his band's musicianship. A few years ago, I purchased his more recent live album and have given it a few listens, but it did not stick with me. So, when I saw this new live album, I wondered why it was issued. Well, it does add some new cuts from that time frame and Turn On Your Lovelight is just outstanding. So, if you would like to experience a great blues/rock singer in concert, consider this album. But if you don't have his live album recorded on Austin City Limits in 1989, buy that one first....it is an absolute 5 star adventure.

great concert!
This is Delbert in his environment - live, In Texas! There is not a bad song here. "LOVE LIGHT" in particular really kicks butt. Delbert is in fine voice and the band is super tight. Even though this concert is over 20 years old, it ranks as his best live recording. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

The series of Stevie Ray Vaughan concert albums that began with Read more

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Reviews (31)

Home boy made it great....and he did it all alone...
Carnegie Hall!!Wow!!!Steve, you sure have come a long way.But, we all knew you would.Yes, that's right, all of your Oak Cliff buddies and Kimball High School friends...Yes, we knew you were headed for greatness way back there in the late 60's and early 70's. But, you were with us in first period Gym class playing flag football on those cold mornings.And we came by to pick you up to go to school and you would come draggingout of the house with a toothbrush in your mouth and your shoes and socks in you hands.You were up 'til 3am playing music around Dallas nightclubs.going to school was tough.But you were with us and we will always remember and love you for it..
Good CD With Original Material
Everyone knows SRV was great so of course this CD will be excellent, but it's not the same old SRV.It shows SRV in a setting that is not captured in any other SRV recordings.
really great. i own it. a must get
yo. this is one of the best live albums of SRV i've ever heard. every song is great from Cold Shot to Lenny. he always wanted to play that live and he got his chance then. a must get. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Electric Texas Blues    4. Guitar Virtuoso    5. Modern Electric Blues    6. Modern Electric Texas Blues    7. Pop    8. Popular Music    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop    11. Texas Blues   

Editorial Review

Most live blues recordings have a feeling of intimacy, as if the concerts took place in some out-of-the-way venue for an audience who not only know all the lyrics, but know the performers personally as well. Read more

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Reviews (31)

really good. good as any live album.
this is a really good live album. some of the songs he sings are first timers for him like Superstition or I'm Leaving You (Commit a Crime). but all and all, a really great album.

Not His Best
Stevie's contract mandated that he produce another album.He was so strung out on drugs at the time that he was unable to produce new material.A live album was all he was able to come up with.The available material (mostly the Montreaux performances) evidently didn't meet the highest standards of quality so a lot of overdubbing was done.Stevie's drug induced monologue at the end of Life Without You was an embarrassment to many of his friends and colleagues.
****1/2. Much underrated
The late Stevie Ray Vaughan rocked on stage. His rendition of Howlin' Wolf's "Commit A Crime" may lack the raw punch of Wolf's original, but that's a minor complaint...most of this album is simply excellent, filled with gems from Vaughan's first three albums.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Electric Texas Blues    4. Guitar Virtuoso    5. Modern Electric Blues    6. Modern Electric Texas Blues    7. Pop    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

This visceral live recording from April 1, 1980, was broadcast on radio from the Steamboat 1874 club in Stevie Ray Vaughan's adopted hometown, Austin, Texas. It circulated among collectors, and his manager used some of the tape as a demo before Vaughan was signed to Epic Records by John Hammond. Young Stevie Ray's performance bristles with uncorked energy. Vaughan is caught improvising on raw slide guitar, growling through Otis Rush's "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)," and pushing his fretboard speed and vocal limits on Guitar Slim's "They Call Me Guitar Hurricane." Also offered are unpolished versions of tunes that became fan favorites: "Tin Pan Alley," "Love Struck Baby," and "Tell Me." Read more

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Reviews (35)

Inspiring!!! . . . and Depressing

Before the silk kimonos
In the Beginning . . . ironic to say that this was the last and final cd to go into my srv collection, (i don't have the box set, but the thought of it makes me salivate) and it's quite possibly my favorite.
Awesome Blues Rock
I have most of SRV's stuff and I was very impressed. Some cover songs, some SRV songs. An excellent mix. Stuff you'll never hear on the radio.
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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   

Editorial Review

This double-disc, 19-song concert recording, which serves as a fittingly funky retrospective of McClinton's 30-year career, is as close to the definitive Delbert as can be imagined. And, oddly enough, his third and best live album was an inadvertent one--a Norwegian radio broadcast captured a festival set too hot to confine to the airwaves. Here, the Texas honky-tonk blues hero dynamically delivers the core of the live McClinton experience, including an energetic rendition of his 1980 breakout hit "Givin' It up for Your Love," a testifying take on Otis Redding's "I've Got Dreams to Remember," and a rambunctious (and extended) reading of his own "B Movie Boxcar Blues." But Read more

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Reviews (18)

Awesome Blues
If you only want to buy two Delbert CDs; then this has to be one and Room To Breathe should be the other one.If you are disappointed in either of these offerings then you have no soul!

honky tonkin'
For some, the claim to fame of venerable Texas rocker Delbert McClinton is that he gave harmonica tips to a young John Lennon - who put the advice to good use on early Beatles' hits such as Love Me Do and I Should Have Known Better. To others, that is a mere footnote in a recording career that stretches back to 1960 and, on the strength of his vigorous performance here, shows no sign of fatigue. McClinton, who just turned 63, is one of those Texas musicians whose brew of country, blues, rock and soul defies categorisation (Doug Sahm and Roy Head are others, consider too Barbara Lynn, and the Vaughan brothers deserve mention). This double album documents a single 2003 performance at Norway's Bergen Blues Festival. Originally intended only as a radio broadcast, it is a high-energy career review. McClinton and his six-piece band (rhythm section and two horns) mix newer songs with long-in-repertoire nuggets such as B-Movie Boxcar Blues, Giving It Up for Your Love and Otis Redding's I've Got Dreams to Remember (19 songs in all). This set drips honky tonk sweat. (This review appeared in The Age newspaper, Melbounre, Australia.)

A FINE ALBUM But Didn't Meet My Expectation
I purchased this recently after reacquainting myself with DM's work through a couple of studio works. I have never seen him perform live, and might feel differently if I had. I will see if this CD set grows on me over time, but my initial reaction to it is that it's just Okay. ... Read more

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

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Reviews (4)

Stirring
Odetta's passion brings home the burden of the slave and the sharecropper.Haunting!Sound quality could be improved.

One fine compilation, one fine artist
"The Essential Odetta", consisting of 20 live songs, was recorded and released in the early sixties as two separate albums capturing performances at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall. The full 20 songs showcase her extraordinary singing capabilities, interpreting folk and blues numbers. It is one of the two best compilations of her work, the other one being "Best of the Vanguard Years".
One of the most powerful voices ever recorded
You have to know Odetta, and this is the best album for getting to know her -- so there you go!Read more

Subjects:  1. Folk    2. Folk & Traditional    3. Folk-Blues    4. Folksongs    5. Pop   

Editorial Review

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. Read more

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• Original recording remastered

Reviews (12)

A-MEN, brother reviewer...
Yeah, man, the "official" reviewer just doesn't get it AT ALL. This is one of the best ROOTS recordings EVER - and I don't say that lightly. Remember...this is 1971...LIVE, a 2 LP recording, at the Fillmore...I mean, the Allman Brothers - WITH DUANE - did their recording that same year. Now, how many acts could have gotten away with playing a tune with nothing but a banjo and a TUBA, for cryin' out loud! ("Tom And Sally Drake")? Taj Mahal, that's who. Taj engages the audience as well as anyone ("Gimme some help...GIMME SOME! - You can do it...if you're jacked up to it...) and standouts here are the norm. "You're Goin' To Need Somebody On Your Bond" is the groover, with Taj 'gettin spiritual' with the blues, and doing the back and forth with the crowd. Also a highlight is "Ain't Gwine Whistle Dixie No Mo'", where every band member gets a piece of the action, and my spine tingles at the thought of John Simon groovin' on the piano, and John Hall doing a GREAT guitar solo, and ending, with Taj whistling over the many horns. No, if you don't get it, you don't get it...but I was 15...and I got it. This is Taj's moment in Time, Live - History, I believe it's called - and he grabs on and holds tight. Any fan of blues, jazz, roots, gospel, or African-American music History has to consider this a MUST HAVE CD. Period.

Taj Always Had His Own Style
This is an excellent Taj Mahal CD. The album is fun and relaxing and must have been a great show to see. The quality of the music is great considering it was taken from a live performance. Although, a few times on the CD when Taj is talking between songs, the sound drops very quiet for a short time but quickly shoots back up to a good volume. The use of horns is a great change on this album and the other musicians on the stage sound great throughout. This is a good CD which will spice up any blues collection by providing a sound different from most otherblues albums.

This is it!
The "official" review doesn't take into account the power of this album as a whole. The chemistry is there, and this has the raw energy of the best blues. One of my favorite albums of all time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Contemporary Blues    4. Electric Country Blues    5. Pop   

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Reviews (19)

Does Get Much Better
I recently bought this for $5.00 used. I am afraid I feel like I stole something from the shop steward. This disc is amazing from start to finish. A mix of blues, stunning solos, jazzy tunes. It's crisp, clean and Ronnie Earl at his very best. No one who has reviewed this has come away with anything but glowing kudos; 12 sensational offerings, one better than the next. How could this end up for $5.00? It's worth four times that much.

Jaw dropping
This record is stunning. Inspired and inspiring. Among my all time favorite modern blues recordings. Just awesome.

what it takes
Ronnie Earl is perhaps the most adept at the "blues balencing act": Where personal style and well assimilated roots/knowledge come together as the continuation of the music's development.This is all too rare in a field filled with rote copyists and 'creative' players who sound like blues was more of a commercial choice than a musical one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. R&B   

Editorial Review

Simply one of the greatest live blues recordings ever. Hooker plays alone at Soledad, yet the real thrill is hearing him backed at Greenwich Village's Café Au-Go-Go in 1966 by Muddy Waters and his band, including pianist Otis Spann, unsung harmonica giant George Smith, Francis Clay on drums, and guitarists Sammy Lawhorn and Luther Johnson. All are at the height of their abilities, but it's Hooker who works like a hoodoo conjurer, making misery rain down in "Seven Days" and "When My First Wife Left Me." This August night's reading of "I'm Bad Like Jesse James" ranks among the most intimidating vocal performances ever taped. His guitar and baritone singing sink to rarely heard depths of the blues--that secret place in the music (known only to its absolute masters) where it becomes an elemental force. Read more

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Two Great Live Albums in One CD
Two very different, but great live John Lee CD's in one package! Live at The Cafe Go-Go catches John Lee with Muddy Waters band including the great Otis Spann on Piano.Muddy even plays guitar on one of the tunes.Sound quality is excellent and John Live is in fine form.Bad like Jesse James is one of the creepiest songs made and is made even more haunting by Spann's parse piano.Live at Soledad prison catch John Lee is his Endless Boogie phase, which I love.Sound quality is very good and his band, including his son John Lee Jr., are tight.This contains all but two cuts of the original Live at Soledad album.These two tunes were sung by John Lee Jr.Great album for anyone who enjoys the blues, live blues, John Lee, or enjoys Otis Spann. Album should be the staple of any basic bblues collection. I highly recommend.

Live John Lee...
Hearing John Lee Hooker backed by the Muddy Water's band from the 1960's is a real treat. The version of "I'm Bad Like Jessie James" that opens the CD is one of the most menacing songs I've ever heard; John Lee describes in detail how he will "take care of" a former friend he took in who went around town telling everybody that he slept with John Lee's wife. This song is a perfect example of how John Lee Hooker was the personification of badass. John Lee also runs through some of his classics like "One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer" and "Bang Bang Bang Bang". I prefer the Cafe Au Go Go set to the Soledad Prison set, but both sets are worth hearing and are full of good performances from John Lee and the band. This is definitely worth getting if you are fan of John Lee Hooker or the blues.

What an incredible man!
It's hard not to get shivers when listening to this recording.John Lee Hooker had such an incredible voice and it's as if his singing and playing encapsulates all misery imaginable.He extracted so much emotion from these songs that made me feel as though I'd actually lived the experience.It's so incredibly painful to listen to in places that I expected the heavens to open up in response.This is a man who knew what he was doing.
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Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Delta Blues    5. Detroit Blues    6. Electric Blues    7. Electric Delta Blues    8. Pop   

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Reviews (3)

BEST RY COODER SLIDE SOLO EVER!!!!
To be honest, I only like one song on this CD. The rest is pretty bad, in my opinion, with a chorus of black singers and Ry mostly in the background. HOWEVER, the track "Jesus on the Mainline" contains an UNBELIEVABLE and epic slide solo by Ry. This solo (greatest slide playing ever recorded?) makes this an essential disc. Definitely the best guitar playing by Ry this side of A Meeting by the River. Its soo good that this is a must have, even though [I personally think] the rest of the CD pretty much sucks. BUY IT ANYWAYS!!!!

Solid Live Ry Cooder
"There is so little live Ry available, it's great to find a live CD from a great era of Ry's work. This CD comes from the era of transition from Chicken Skin Music to Bop Till You Drop, with most from the former(along with similar stylings).

Classic Americana, Cooder-Style
Ry Cooder put this incredible band together in the late '70's, combining the soul stylings of vocalists Bobby King and Terry Evans with conjunto king accordianist Flaco Jimenez, and Ry's own amazing slide guitar work. This is a band in the truest sense, traversing American music and bringingfresh, creative interpretations of songs like Woody Guthrie's"Do-Re-Mi", r&b classic "Smack Dab In The Middle",and the Mexican torch standard, "Volver, Volver".This albumintroduced me to Flaco, and led to a series of trips to furniture stores inDenver's Mexican neighborhoods--the only places you could find hisalbums,at that time. Leave it to a master musician and musicologist like RyCooder to find these talented people, and create something so unique. Thisis a live album in every way. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Country-Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Roots Rock   

Editorial Review

It's not the familiar, fiery playing of Stevie Ray Vaughan that tips listeners off that this set's first disc has captured an extraordinary moment in modern blues history; it's the jarring, rising chorus of boos that accompanies it. As with previous musicians as disparate as Dylan and Stravinsky, Vaughan's willful tweaking of staid genre conventions initially infuriated purists. Though few could have imagined it at the time, Vaughan and company's July 17, 1982, show at the Montreux Jazz Festival (included here in its entirety) ignited not only a brilliant career, but a widespread revival of the blues as well.Read more

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Reviews (21)

get it on DVD
I bought this in a 2-DVD set for my husband this past Christmas; he is a big SRV fan.The DVD set is absolutely fantastic.The music is great, but Stevie Ray is also so awesome to watch, especially the 1985 concert.It is a must-have for SRV fans; get it on DVD, you won't regret it!

1982 Amazing. Short, perhaps his best.
I have been a fan since his first album. I bought this to keep the collection complete, thinking it was just another live set. The first disc, from before his first album was recorded, is a brilliant, hungry and energetic set. I understand now why David Bowie and Jackson Browne had to introduce themselves after this concert. Short, yes,perhaps his best. The second disc is great from years later. Buy this CD.

Some of the very best live SRV
Well, first of all, the 1985 Montreux show is very good. The fact that several of the '85 cuts were released back in '86 on the "Live Alive" album is a bit of a drawback, but the music is excellent. Stevie Ray Vaughan and his band perform superbly throughout the set, resulting in magnificent renditions of "Texas Flood", "Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love" and several more.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Bass (Electric)    3. Blues-Rock    4. Drums    5. Electric Texas Blues    6. Guitar (Electric)    7. Modern Electric Blues    8. Modern Electric Texas Blues    9. Organ    10. Pop    11. Rock    12. Rock/Pop    13. Texas Blues    14. United States of America    15. Vocals   

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Reviews (7)

Delbert - Live From Austin
To start with, I DON'T like country music.With that said, this CD rocks.I had to try a Delbert McClinton CD after listening to Imus drone on daily about Delbert McClinton and started out with this CD.I am particularly a fan of tight bands and they just don't get tighter than his.The twangy ones I can do without but overall this CD rates a 6 on a scale of 5.And if you get the chance to see him and his band live, well, don't miss it.Pay any money.You will not be diappointed.

McClinton Rocks Austin City Limits
For lovers of good clean rock and roll with a bluesy flair, this album is one of the best buys around.Backed up by a terrific band, including a fabulous horn section, McClinton runs through his own classics like "Givin' It Up For Your Love",and "Back To Louisiana" as well as covers like Otis Redding's "I've Got Dreams To Remember". McClinton's raunchy voice and energetic style prove that he sets the standard for live perfomances. The album's only drawback is that at less than 40 minutes in length,the party is over before you are ready for the fun to end.Nonetheless, it remains one of my favorite albums, bar none. An absolute must have for any rock and roll fan.

Excelent compilation of Delbert's best work
Although live, this is an excelent recording and I think that a live performance is the only way to hear Delbert at his best.I also have the Ultimate Collection CD, which it is not the Ultimate collection, it is missing Standing on Shaky ground and several other great tracks. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues Music    2. Blues-Rock    3. Country-Rock    4. Modern Electric Blues    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Silvertone Records has done a smart job of resurrecting Buddy Guy's career. When the label signed the Chicago blues guitar master in 1990, the 54-year-old legend hadn't had an American release in nine years. Silvertone introduced him to a new audience by having him play duets with such rock-star admirers as Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, and Jeff Beck on the 1991 album, Read more

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Reviews (16)

The essential moment of terror on a rock-solid album
First, it's Buddy in fine form, Second, it's G.E. Smith and the SNL band, providing excellent support. A fan of Buddy and / or a fan of the blues can't go wrong with this one, but there's a real, raw, "Hellhound On His Trail" moment that makes this a must-have. Even the fans who are moderately familiar with Buddy's history know of his connection to Muddy Waters. During "My Time After A While" (around the 5 minute mark) he does an extended Muddy "Mannish Boy" type of scat that ends with him howling "lookee here, lookee here, lookee here, lookee here" as the band rallies and stomps and thuds around a brutal, paint-peeling guitar solo. Buy this one. NOW.

Good. Almost great
Buddy Guy is accompanied by the Saturday Night Live house orchestra on this album, which may only include nine songs, but still clocks in at well over an hour.
buddy Guy takes the SNL band to blues school
this is an interesting album.I have been a Buddy Guy fan for a long long time and I've seen him live on a few occasions.While I like the sound of the album and it does have some great moments I just don't get the whole SNL band thing.While great technical musicians they just don't know the blues and it is glaringly obvious when one of them attempts a solo.G.E. Smith's weak excuse for a call and response section with Buddy during, "Damn Right I've Got the Blues" sounds like my cat when she is wining about being hungry.Buddy will throw out some amazing guitar line and smith will answer with something that a ten-year-old would play while learning how to bend the strings.Pathetic!the only other soloist who keeps up with Buddy on this album is the amazing Johnny Johnson on piano.the man is just a legend and he does show it here.This album seems to be another attempt to make Buddy palatable to the casual blues fan, (The ones who think Keb' Mo' is a blues artist), in an attempt to widen his audience and from a financial standpoint I can't blame him or his record company.Ih short, if you are a true Buddy Guy fan you'll find this album to sound pretty waterd down so I wouldn't rush out and buy it.If you are someone who is interested in learning about the blues and have heard about Buddy Guy then I would recommend buying this album simply because Buddy's playing is normally very intense and it may scare off someone who is not familiar with his style so start with this one and then build into the real good stuff. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Chicago Blues    4. Electric Blues    5. Electric Chicago Blues    6. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    7. Pop   

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Play it over and over again... you'll never get tired of it!
My library is about 90% blues and R&B.If you like blues like I like blues, this album is a "must have" item.It's been in my CD player in my van for about two weeks now.I listen to it over and overagain and never tire of it.CAUTION: Contains some great drivin' roadmusic... watch your speedometer while listeng to this CD or YOU'LL besingin' the blues to "Smokey"! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. R&B    6. Texas Blues   

Editorial Review

Because he was a black man with an acoustic guitar, Ted Hawkins often falls into the blues category, but this description ignores prominent elements of his music. A better description comes from writer Peter Guralnick, who called it simply a "rural adaptation of contemporary soul music." In his "rural soul," Hawkins incorporates the direct approach of Delta blues, the resignation of country music, the honest and idiosyncratic lyrics of folk, the hope of gospel, and the rich and tender vocals of soul. On this 1994 live album, Hawkins's urgent guitar strumming and infectious singing captivates and connects with the audience--after all, playing solo in front of a crowd is where Hawkins had the most practice, after years of Venice Beach busking. "All I Have to Offer You Is Me" was a hit for Charley Pride, country music's most celebrated African American performer. Hawkins renders a gripping a cappella version of John Fogerty's "Long as I Can See the Light," and his reading of Webb Pierce's honky-tonk staple "There Stands the Glass" is a perfect example of the emotional investment in whatever he sings. Even a simple testament to love like the original "Groovy Little Things" becomes a moving, spiritual moment. Read more

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Reviews (7)

JUST A MAN & HIS GUITAR...AND THAT GREAT VOICE!
This is a great live album by one of the best voices in blues..uh soul...uh r&b...pop. And there's the rub. This was a man you couldn't put a label to. Which is why he remained a starving artist almost until the day he died. Which was way too soon for this great of a live entertainer. Hawkins could make his voice do just about anything. A very versatile singer who could run through a gamut of emotions in just one song. One of the best examples of this is his wonderful acappella version of John Fogerty's "As Long As I See The Light". This song alone is worth the price of admission here. Although he leaves a few of my faves off here, most notably "Happy Hour" and "Who Got My Natural Comb", he still gives us some of his most memorable like "Watch Your Step", "Revenge Of The Scorpio", and "Biloxi". The sound quality on this cd is excellent. It was recorded in 3 different venues. I especially liked the 3 songs he does in the Wisconsin University Auditorium, where you get the echo affect from his larger than life voice. The man could sing. It didn't matter if he was walking the sands of Venice Beach with his guitar, or playing a big room, Ted Hawkins always sounded like he was giving it all. There isn't anything slick or fancy here. Just a man and his guitar. This is a wonderful last hurrah from one of the most soulful singers ever.

I don't usually gush, but this one rates it
This is one of the 3 or 4 best albums of any genre that I've ever heard. If that sounds like hyperbole, I'm sorry, but Ted Hawkins had it all: emotional directness, great taste in covers, perfect pitch, wonderful playing--he had it all in a way very few musicians do. His interpretive efforts are as strong as any by giants like Otis Redding and Patsy Cline. What clinches it for me is his songwriting: besides being emotionally mature and honest, it's incredibly literate and fresh. I mean, "The Good and the Bad" alone has several classic lines; when you hear him sing that "Sugar is noooooo gooood/Once it's cast among the white sands"--wow. His songs stand right up to his covers: when you can write as well as Jesse Winchester and John Fogerty, well that's sayin' something. I've been a fan since 1986 (Happy Hour): this is his best work, although it leaves a few classics off.

I bought a copy for my father
Finding Ted's final album in a store in Boston on my first US trip, I stood for over an hour, headphones clasped to my head, amazed at the warmth and openness of every track.Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Contemporary Blues    3. Modern Acoustic Blues    4. Pop    5. Popular Music    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. Soul-Blues   

Editorial Review

Recorded live over three nights in Los Angeles in 1998, Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (7)

Blends all sorts of musical flavors into a refined amalgam
This cleanly recorded, live set from Taj Mahal backed by the excellent, tight Phantom Blues Band, blends all sorts of musical flavors into a refined amalgam. The strain, stress, and anguish that make too many forays into contemporary blues a sure-fire ticket for a migraine are cast aside for grace, craft, and smoothness. On the other hand, there is enough edge here to add texture. In many ways, the energy, vibe, and diversity here remind me of the superb but obscure "Rust" by Kevin Brown, must more so than the largely sterile renderings from say Eric Clapton.
Awesome Blues
Next to Eric Clapton, I'd have to say that Taj's blues are the best around.Look no further than track 3, Ain't That Alotta Love? for the perfectly executed blues song.From the bass line to the vocals, you don't get better.This album has found its way among my short list of classics, and well-deserving.I can't wait to get the chance to see him jam live in person!

Care for an appetizer anyone? Wine, cheese and blues perhaps
Virtuosic playing and uncommonly clean sound quality aside, the diversity of material prevents this set from ever catching fire. It's a collection of appetizers that never adds up to a full meal. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

In the decade following Stevie Ray Vaughan’s passing in 1990, hordes of guitarists savaged their instruments in rank emulation of the Texan. These days, have mercy, the vast majority of those firebrands have faded away, leaving the hot blues-rock guitar field largely to slide specialist Dave Hole. Not that this Aussie is some SRV-fixated holdout, mind you. Rather, he was scalding his strings as far back as the '70s, initially getting noticed on this side of the world in the early '90s. On his first concert album ever, Hole proves that his musical intelligence and his emotional honesty are as formidable as his technical skills. "Demolition Man" lives up to its title, as does "Short Fuse Blues." "Take Me to Chicago" is so good it suggests he spent his formative years in the outback studying under some Aussie Elmore James. Hole can chill too, wringing sweet truths out of "Berwick Road." Read more