5 comments about Road Tested.

1. I first bought this CD set sometime in '96 or '97. I expected to like two or three songs. However, there are no bad songs on either CD. I never touch the skip button when these CD's are in my player.
   
   During a move I somehow lost my CD's. I like this CD set so much that I am purchasing it for the 2nd time.



2. "Angel From Montgomery" may be the best live performance every recorded. I certainly think so. Even after years of owning this record this song still stops me in my tracks and makes me listen intently. There's always more to hear. Love it.



3. GET THE DVD INSTEAD.
   
   This is from a 1995 concert that was staged to be filmed. The total time is 105 minutes. You can get this on DVD instead, which I would recommend.
   
   This CD sounds like it is ripped right from a video. There is just something about it, with the dynamic range and the way it is mixed. When I first played it on my stereo, I kept involuntarliy looking over at my TV, expecting to see some video.
   
   Overall, it is a nice peformance from Bonnie Raitt, but it isn't the best one I have heard. It is better than the one released in 2006. However, I have heard other radio shows and CD's that are better, but for some reason currently aren't officially available.
   
   One of the problems with this show and her latest live CD's is that they try too hard to come up with polished product. So, all the hits are here, but they are done too close to the studio versions. She doesn't open up like when she isn't under the pressure to create a video.
   
   The other problem is too many guest stars. People always go nuts when there are famous guest stars on these videos. Sometimes there are magic moments. But usually, they are just a distraction. These guest stars do not practice with the band, don't really know the songs and just go through the motions. I would rather hear more of Bonnie Raitt than some inferior performance by Bryan Adams.
   
   In spite of the sound quality and some stale moments, this is still a very nice CD and I would recommend it to anyone who likes any of Raitt's songs.



4. I won't say much about the content, as others have covered that subject well. She gets help here from Ruth and Charles Brown, Bruce Hornsby, and Jackson Browne. The band is completely tuned into these songs -- everything is right on cue, sympathetic to Bonnie's vocals and solos. Slammin'!!
   
   True, Bonnie doesn't sing classic blues on this album. She filters it through the rock and pop genre. So what? Anyone who can't hear the blues in her slide guitar is just constipated.
   
   I own both the CD and the video version on laserdisc. The CD set is very reasonably priced if you buy it used, but you might do well to consider buying the DVD to get all the visual excitement too.
   
   I've seen Bonnie live once. She is a professional. She is a natural live performer. Arguably these live takes are better than the album versions. I think she thrives on an audience. If you like Bonnie Raitt, above all don't miss *this* album. It may be her best, in addition to being one of the best live albums I've ever seen/heard on film.



5. I had never heard much Bonnie Raitt. I was at a CD store one night and ran across this live CD. I had heard a few recent songs of hers and decided to buy the CD.
   I took it home and much to my surprise I could not stop listening to it.
   The Cd and the DVD for that matter includes some friends of hers, such as Bryan Adams, Charles and Ruth Brown, Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby and Kim Wilson.
   She does her classics Thing called Love and Something to talk about. She also does a mean acoustic version of Love me like a man which is certainly one of the highlights of the performance.
   Dimming of the Day and Love sneaking up on you are also great performances.
   The highlight of the evening to me is when Charles and Ruth Brown come out and sing Never make your move too soon. Charles Brown plays a very mean piano solo that will make any blues lover get excited as Ruth sings away.
   She also closes the album with her classic Angel from Montgomery.
   If you dont already have some Bonnie Raitt CD's this would be a very good one to start with. I would also recommmend the DVD.
   This is Mississippi Delta blues at its best..........enjoy

5 comments about Truly: The Love Songs.

1. Well, Once again Mr Richie comes out with a great CD ! All you need to do is put it in your CD player kick back and relax . A+



2. Lionel Richie, whether that was his intent or not, became the Johnny Mathis of the 1970s and 1980s with his obvious preference for the love ballad, both during his career as lead singer with The Commodores and as a solo act. From the first group hit [Machine Gun] in 1974 to his last solo charter in 1996 [Don't Wanna Lose You for the Mercury label], he was responsible for 36 Billboard Pop Hot 100 hit singles [all but one with Motown] and, with a few exceptions, most fit under the category of love songs.
   
   It's not surprising therefore that this CD, despite NOT being billed as a "greatest hits" or "best of" compilation, has no less than 17 which were hit singles, six of them #1s [only tracks 1 and 16 were not hits]. Seven of them [including two #1s] are from his Commodores stint. Would that most greatest hits albums were as this thorough.
   
   Also an accomplished saxophonist, Lionel left The Commodores in 1982 [his last hit with them was Why You Wanna Try Me?] and immediately struck gold as a solo act with Truly, a # 1 for two weeks in late 1982 [in 1981, while still a member of the group, he had cut the smash duet Endless Love [# 1 for NINE weeks] with Diana Ross]. Three more # 1 hits would follow, with the only one missing from this collection being 1983's All Night Long [All Night].
   
   The sound quality is flawless and if there is a fault it's the absence of any appreciable liner notes in the fold-out insert which contains merely a re-listing of the contents, but no discography, and a few more photos. There is, however, a short message from Lionel which fits into the theme of the album - "I find love - difficult to explain - impossible to control, comes when you least expect it and is for each of us a unique experience. I hope you can identify with and enjoy some of my experience."
   
   We did Lionel. And thanks for sharing.



3. Lionel = LOVE
   Best crooner of love songs ever!
   Have a memory for each song!



4. Lionel Richie is the greates singer of love songs. I love to hear his voice. He has this way about making a woman feel good about herself in a song. I love the old stuff.



5. Lionel Ritchie is the man! I find myself singing to one song after another. Great listen for when I'm in a mellow mood...

5 comments about Stone Crazy!.

1. I love Buddy Guy, his falsetto voice, his guitar tone, his mellow pickin', his frenzied shreddin', it's all here too! The songs are few, but long and let him stretch out and wear it out! This was his first solo endeavor and it's totally raw and rockin'! I listen to it everyday! Get all his stuff, it's eclectic from acoustic blues to psychedelic rock, he's the coolest!



2. This is the only album prior to about 1990 where Buddy Guy plays like Buddy Guy. It is one of the best blues albums by any artist, and is one of only a few things out there that show you what Buddy Guy can really do. You get an idea of what he was like live, and an idea of why people like Hendrix, SRV and Clapton counted Buddy Guy as one of the best ever.



3. It is hard to compare this album with anything prior to or after. It stands alone in my Buddy Guy collection, and I have all that I can get my hands on.
   This album introduced me to Buddy Guy. I made me a true fan. This is reminiscent of the first times I saw him live at the Chestnut Cabaret in Philly in the summer of '85 I think. Back to back nights. Not a lot of people at the shows in those days (in Philly in the summer everyone is "down the shore"). But he played it just as hard as he does now in front of packed venues. Had the honor of passing him a Cognac at one point of the show. He used to walk through the crowd to the side door, walk outside and stand there for a while and continue jamming on the sidewalk. Truly amazing guitar player, and what a great all-around performer. If he couldn't play a note on the guitar, his voice would have made him a star.
   Don't think about getting this album, get it. Now. It will not disappoint. "When I Left Home" is unbelievable. Check it out.



4. I'm not a blues expert. I'm a born and bred south Chicagoan, and a blues fan for over thirty years. Purists be damned, this IS a blues album.
   I bought this album on vinyl when it was released. I saw Buddy playing live a lot around then (and many times since) and if you want to get an idea what kind of a pounding show he played in small clubs at that time listen to "You've Been Gone Too Long".
   Although this is a studio album, it feels "live" and has none of the over-produced slickness that mars many of the albums on the Alligator Records label. Buddy and the band are loose (not sloppy though, the chops and grooves are tight) yet intense. Phil Guy, Buddy's brother, is also on Stone Crazy and is a phenomenal blues guitarist as well (I'm not sure, but I believe some of the solos on this album may be his).
   If you are in a Son House / Robert Johnson kind of mood this isn't the album for you. But if you'd like to know what it was like at small, smokey blues clubs in Chicago when this album came out, buy this.
   If you like this album I also recommend "Son Seals: Live and Burning". Both are rough, raw, powerfull, and "sloppy-tight" I never play Stone Crazy without it...and a shot of whiskey.



5. Imagine being in a London nightclub in 1966, when an unknown man with a guitar named Jimi Hendrix climbs onstage from the audience. He plugs in his instrument and begins to play with the headliners - Eric Clapton and Cream. Minutes later he's gone, leaving the musicians, critics, and the audience gaping in awe. From that moment forward, everyone who witnessed this spectacle knew that rock guitar playing had been forever changed. Hearing Buddy Guy for the first time can be equally momentous. Buddy and Jimi heavily influenced each other, and the results speak for themselves. When Buddy's at his best, as he is on Stone Crazy, practically no one can stand toe-to-toe with him without getting burned or schooled. His self-taught mastery, unbridled creativity, and berserk ferocity on the electric guitar make lesser players seem impotent by comparison.
   
   George "Buddy" Guy had been working professionally as a musician for more than two decades when he recorded this album. But, it was his performance on Stone Crazy that firmly established him among the pantheon of electric guitar gods in the minds of rock aficionados. His playing on this album undulates sensually, laughing, crying, sighing, teasing like a faint tickle one moment, and then thrusting like an ice pick in the gut without warning. Plainly speaking, listening to this CD is like having hoalistic sex with reckless abondon - passive participation is simply impossible.
   
   As he nears seventy, the flashes of brilliance and moments of astonishing prowess on the guitar are now fewer and farther between. But on a good night, he can still let loose a jaw-dropping, blistering solo that will sonically assault your senses.
   
   If you like Stone Crazy, I'd also recommend his 2001 release, Sweet Tea. While it lacks the guitar pyrotechnics of Stone Crazy, this album cooks with a slow burn like Mississippi mulligan stew. On one incredible tune, Baby Please Don't Leave Me, Buddy conjures up some fuzz-tone mojo with reverb that would make the Voodoo Chile himself shiver in his grave.

5 comments about Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert.

1. I was really surprised by this cd it is a very good recording especially being a live concert I really like the version of Laya. The artists were the best of the time so that is why it is so good, you do not get top artists getting together like that any more.



2. I an a huge Clapton fan, who had this album in the 70's. Needless to say I misplaced it somewhere along the line, I was so happy to purchase this CD it is better than I remember, one of my favorite CD of all time. Everyone needs to own this CD.



3. This is one of the many reasons I continue to invest in CD's after their early 80's
   Inception. Firstly sound-quality has leaped in dynamics, and of course "expanded" and "remastered" certainly IS a benefit to the longer play format.
   
   And this along with titles like "Live at Leads", and Dylan's "Bootleg" series makes these releases even more valuable for everyone not just collectors and
   rarity-philes.
   
   I remember first finding this in the LP Vinyl cutout bin 35 odd years ago (along with the Blind Faith album) and immediately spotting Jesus/God playing a Strat. But the songs seemed a bit scattered and I couldn't't see the "flow" potential. And of course where was "Layla"?
   
   But just like "Live at Leads" we are certainly blessed by the re-representation of the "Big Picture". And see what and hear what didn't make the grade at the time. This is Clapton's saving grace album and cheers for Pete Townsend for piecing Eric's puzzle back together. 461 Ocean Boulevard was yet conceived and we all were still yet to absorb fully Derek's Dominoes.
   
   In retrospect reading the recent reviews of Led Zeppelin '07, this concert started off a bit ragged. "Layla" does turn out to be a tragedy... But the building momentum and surety comes on as the concert develops. Cheers to Townsend for NOT sounding "WHOish" and bless his heart for putting the show on in the first place. But Ronnie Wood, contrary to his entertaining bio, does NOT at all mirror even closely the fluid "slide" of Duane Allman. But still certainly a great document of Eric's resurrection.



4. In 1973, Pete Townshend organized a comeback concert for his friend Eric Clapton at London's Rainbow Theatre after Clapton's long struggle with a heroin addiction. The result was a star-studded affair that was recorded for a live album, which originally contained only six songs. This reissue adds eight others and gives you the full experience of Slowhand's comeback. Of course, Clapton isn't the only one taking a turn in the spotlight here, as Steve Winwood has his turn on a version of "Pearly Queen." This album has been unfairly criticized because the follow-up, 461 OCEAN BOULEVARD, was so great, but in my view, that criticism was unwarranted, because it shows that Clapton was still, despite his troubles, capable of putting on a great show.



5. Great concert with a great set of songs- classics! This album just kept growing on me and didn't leave the CD player for months. You really get a sense of Eric's ability to play/sing different styles (blues, rock, etc). The musicians he plays with on this album are all top-notch. The recording quality is a little off but I kinda like the "bootleg" quality it has. The "After Mignight" on here is the best I've ever heard. It's got a real raw sound that you don't get from either of the studio/radio versions I've heard. The "Let It Rain" version on here is also awesome, with a drum jam in the middle of it. If you're an EC fan, especially of his older material, you must have this! If you're a fan of 70's rock and/or blues this is also strongly suggested.

No comments about Woodstock.

5 comments about No More Drama.

1. RAIN DAYZ IS MY ONLY FAVORITE SONG ON THE ALBUM OTHER THEN THAT ITS GARBAGE



2. 
   Got some good joints on here, but not a great album overall.
   
   Top Joints:
   Family Affair (Dr Dre smash)
   No More Drama
   Rainy Dayz (w/ Ja Rule)
   Beautiful Day
   Dance For Me (Remix w/ Common)
   No More Drama (Remix w/ P. Diddy)
   Flying Away (My Personal Favorite)
   Never Been (A Missy Banger)



3. This is a great album! It's like Mary's "My Life" album where you can relate to the songs.



4. I hadn't listened to this CD for a while for some reason. Boy was I missing out! This is one of, if not my absolute, favorite Mary J. albums. It is truly beatiful. Her vocals on here are wonderful, the production is great. Every single song is great!
   
   I actually like the original version a little bit better. I would recommend finding the original and buying it along with this one. This re-release is still great and the new songs keep the quality and integrity of the album. (That is very rare with re-issues.)
   
   I definitely recommend this, along with the original if you can find it. This is one of my all time favorite albums.



5. I have several albums by Mary J Blije and have to say that this is by far one of her best. I am completely satisfied and happy with my purchase and would reccomend it to anyone, whether they are already a fan of hers or not. Even my father loves it.

5 comments about Into the Blues.

1. The hugely influential and pioneering British singer-songwriter, is back with a brand new studio CD.
   The reclusive legend tries her hand at the blues and proves quite a dab hand at it.
   She basically plays everything here bar the drums and manages to inject everything with a sense of drive and passion. As always, her silky-smooth voice is the real star.
   Joan's new album is the latest in a long line of fabulous releases dating back to her wonderfully successful breakthrough albums in the late 70s and early 80s such as Show Some Emotion, To the Limit and Me Myself I .
   She remains an utterly compelling writer and performer of unique warmth.
   She cites "Into The Blues" as her best work yet.
   "I've wanted to make an album that truly reflected me and I think this does. I love the blues and while each song is very different there's a cohesive thread that runs throughout".
   Her 19th album is a celebration the blues, which she describes as "the bedrock of modern music".
   Her rich, mellow vocal suits the blues, as does her accomplished guitar playing.
   She really enjoys playing all those well-oiled blues riffs on her trusty electric guitar to ornament her compositions.
   One of them, "Baby Blue Eyes", features some impressive acoustic strumming, which adds a more earthy texture.
   Always bold and unpredictable, Joan Armatrading has come to Muddy Waters relatively late, but better late than never.
   This is an eclectic mix of blues-inspired songs that should please her loyal fans.



2. I fell in love with Joan in the mid-70's after hearing her Back To the Night album (vinyl issued 1975; so sad it is currently unavailable on CD) and her 3rd album called simply Joan Armatrading (1976). I was extremely charmed by her vocal (smooth & husky & strong & natural, capable of unbelievable finesses, which were, however, very functional and devoid of any signs of exhibitionism). She had an outstanding technique of tone forming which varied with every syllable she sang. The other point was she was a fantastic song-write of beautiful melodies, performed with great feeling, only occassionally bluesy. Her lyrics has been also delightful, sensitively marking the intimate spaces between two people. I came back to JA in the early 80's (Me, Myself, I album, 1980) and then again, I somewhat forgot about her (being principally a rock fan). Then it took me another 15 years to get astonished for the third time, by means of her fantastic comeback with the album What's Inside (1995). I thought this was to be her last masterpiece ... and I did not expect she might ever level this.
   
   It is now her curent album that shook me again. It preserves all the above mentioned attributes of JA's art, but, in addition, it indeed extends them. (I cannot recall many in the showbiz world that would be artistically growing and maturing being aged 57 - the majority can at best level previous efforts, but never go beyond). Joan's vocal darkened a bit, maybe as a consequence of the repertoire she performs. Although more than one half of the new songs are principally bluesy things (as indicated by the title of the album), it is incredible how Joan's creativity made the whole album so variable in mood, tempo, instrumentations. From the gloomy balads (the bluesy Empty Highway) to solidly rocking pieces (Deep Down, held on one single chord; There Ain't a Girl Alive); from her inventive classical song-writing (A Woman In Love; Baby Blues Eyes) to the classical electric blues things (My Baby's Gone; Liza). You may notice traces of funky, reggae, boogie, also gospel (Secular Songs). Another point is the instrumentation - as always, first-class. We used to hear many well-known studio musicians with her in the past - now Joan performes everything on her own with the exception of drums. There are wondeful guitar solos (some even aggressively rocking - There Ain't a Girl Alive), if not to mention the numerous tiny blues miracles she produces on her guitar. On one of the tracks (Baby Blue Eyes), her guitar playing even reminds of old Velvet Underground. The bass lines are perfect as well. Even the mouth harp appears (simple, but powerful). No backing vocals - just perfect overdubbs of her own. And last but not least - the lyrics. Simply you trust her, the charming lady, so open without any pretending in love affairs (..when you sing the blues, I'll take off my clothes for you). Surprisigly, even autobiographic (Mama and Papa) and social themes from an immigrant milieu appear, a feature I was not used to with Joan. The closing, slowly gradating bluesy song (Something's Gotta Blow) with the socially oriented lyrics is really overwhelming. Amen. We've heard the trinity of words, singing and music of JA, a mature woman who has created an extremely mature piece of art.



3. Joan Armatrading's "Into the Blues" is a great set with many highlights. Of my four favorites is the rocking blues-inflected "My Baby's Gone (Come Back Baby)" with a great chorus and Joan's voice insistent, "Don't you know I can't live without you?" "Deep Down" is an amazing rock conflagration with Joan's band blowing out the repetitive lyric. She sets drummer Miles Bould free and mixes the drums up high that makes this track a cousin to some of the best of Cream. Joan follows this with another full-tilt boogie, "There Ain't A Girl Alive" that throbs passionately with Joan's blazing guitar as she spitefully wails, "Yea you like to go to the shopping mall; They got mirrors wall to wall; You like to be on the center stage; You can see adulation on a thousand faces." "Mama Papa" is a blues boogie with some tasty acoustic slide guitar on a track that sounds like a swamp cousin of Tony Joe White. Other songs like the title track, "Baby Blue Eyes" and "Secular Songs" also shine. This is an amazing CD. It will probably be on a few "Best of 2007" lists come year-end. Bravo!



4. I love Joan Armatrading and have all of her albums. This one, however, I'll be giving away. I was really looking forward to hearing Joan get into the blues and bought this album without hearing it. Mistaaaaake! There's one song in this selection that could be described as 'blues-ey" - the rest I don't quite know how to describe other than to say, this album ain't blues. I found most of the tracks agitating. My advice is to listen before you buy. It saddens me to have to give Joan a bad review, but hey, one dodgy album out of so many isn't bad!



5. Not the usual Joan Armatrading. A lot of soul, but a little heavier than in her past albums. She reaches into more of a hip hop style in a few of her songs.

5 comments about Twenty-One Good Reasons: The Paul Carrack Collection.

1. If you like blue-eyed soul, Paul Carrack makes the short list of singers from the 80's/90's era in popular music that did it the best. Other names that come to mind are: Darryl Hall, Sting, Phil Collins and Paul Rodgers. Of course, each of them adds their own twist to the genre. For me, there's just something interesting about a self-conscious caucasian guy trying to sound like Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding or even B.B. King. Perhaps it is the underlying angst that comes through as he attempts to transcend his own limitations. Some people might feel that this is not an authentic blues/soul experience, but I like it.
   
   This product contains an excellent collection of songs from a man who, by his own admission, "lives by the groove". There is no question that he follows his muse wherever it might take him because, after reviewing his long and varied career, you will notice that he has collaborated with several different groups (Ace, Squeeze, Mike & the Mechanics, etc.). Somehow he always manages to put his stamp on the final outcome, and things usually turn out well.
   
   If we all "lived by the groove", the world could potentially be a better place. On the other hand, who would carry the mail or pick up the trash if we were all busy "groovin'"? Pop this into your disc player and form your own conclusions. Enjoy!



2. I have to say that Paul Carrack has to be one of the best pop singers to do well in bands as well as solo. They do a good job compiling his best hits with Ace (How Long), Squeeze (Tempted), Mike and the Mechanics and his solo hits (Don't Shed A Tear). But my favorite solo song from Paul is One Good Reason from 1987 as that song rocks big time, from the horns to the guitars! Unfortunately, Don't Shed A Tear was played more during that time and One Good Reason got only some minor buzz. Reason seemed more comfortable to some with the low key rock guitar. But the other songs are good candidates to this effort. Paul just loves to perform and this collection justifies his major success as an artist for close to 3 decades.



3. "Twenty-One Good Reasons" provides a good presentation to the music (and the voice) of Paul Carrack. Ace, Squeeze, Carlene Carter and even Mike & The Mechanics have received the benefits of working with such a good performer like Mr. Carrack. If you are seriously engaged with 70s Pop & Rock music, this CD is A MUST for you!



4. This, by far, is one of my favorite cd's. Paul Carrack has one of the most fabulous voices around and I believe, is very underrated. This is an awesome cd and great to have on when cleaning--you can't help singing along to! :) Love the tracks with Carlene Carter! A must have for even the slightest fan. I was lucky enough to see him perform with Ringo Starr (in his All-Star Band)and his voice is still so smooooooth!!



5. This compilation of Paul Carrick is no less than wonderful! It's got all of his major songs, both solo and with groups. The sound is great and the songs are all really great. I'm very pleased with it! If you are a Paul Carrack fan and/or pop/rock fan, you need this in your collection! It's out-of-print, but worth looking for, I'm glad I did!

5 comments about Bitter.

1. i agree with the other reviews about it being dark, but. it's a great album. someone must have done her so wrong, that it hit her deep in her soul.



2. I usually have to go on line to locate this CD, but it's a must have. This is my 3rd time purchasing it. This CD really touches the heart when you need it most.



3. if you haven't heard her before, I'm telling you once you do you'll be hooked.



4. I just recently discovered the music of MeShell NdegeOcello and this album has been on continuous rotation in my cd player. Bitter is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, from start to finish this album is flawless as MeShell bares all and sings about issues that haunt relationsips such as temptation, cheating, breakups, and the emotions that result from them. I recommed this album to those who love honest, soulful, good music. Bitter is by far one of the most "real" albums I have ever heard.



5. I saw this movie and had to find out what song was in it. I was surprised that it was Me'Shell. This song fit perfectly with the movie.
   
   FYI

5 comments about The Essential Luther Vandross.

1. I had the best of love 1 and 2 and they were on cassette,out of date.This was the perfect replacement for the 2 cassettes



2. this really is the essential luther set! my only complaint is that a couple of the songs (like superstar and a house is not a home) are not in their entirety in this collection. other than that, it's a great cd.



3. I can't give this a perfect 5 because although the tracks picked are all excellent, the versions aren't always full.



4. I purchased this CD as a gift and they loved it!! CD arrived on time and in great condition!



5. It's Luther what more of a recommendation do you want. BUY IT if u r in love or want to be.