4 comments about Live.

1. I seem to have forgotten where the "Stop" button is on my CD player since I got this album from my mailbox yesterday. Kelly Richey and her band deliver pure and raw "reach-inside-and-grab-your-guts-and-throw-your-head-back-and-grooooooooove" throaty blues with an electric guitar that will play your spine like a xylophone...SIMPLY SPECTACULAR! As if her original work on the album isn't enough of an elixir for the gritty-blues-lover in all of us, her covers of "Crossroads" and "All Along The Watchtower" will leave you thinking "Wow...that song can do THAT??". I reviewed the other Reviews while trying to decide one way or the other to "commit" to this one. If you're reading this for the same purpose...DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND ORDER THIS ALBUM NOW! In the meantime, I suppose I'll find my "Stop" button on the CD player, eventually, but I sure ain't searchin' too hard for it.



2. SHE WRITES THE SONGS, SHE SINGS THE SONGS, SHE PLAYS LEAD STRAT.!! SHE CAN DO IT ALL, AND DO IT BETTER THAN ANYONE IN AMERICA TODAY. IF YOU BUY THIS CD YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE. I GARRUUNTEE! SHE SINGS LIKE JANIS AND PLAYS LIKE STEVE RAY!



3. This is the first time that I heard of The Kelly Richey Band, but I'm sure it is not the last. Every cut on this CD is exceptional. This CD contains a few "covers", but each one sounds totally new. Kelly Richey provides the best "smokin' blues" guitar licks I've heard lately. If you like the style of blues of Rory Gallagher, Alvin Lee, Jimi Hendrix, and Savoy Brown, then you will love this CD.



4. Kelly Richey is a Cincinnati based blues guitar player who plays the living stuff out of the poor thing. She draws heavily on Hendrix, and sounds as though she's channeling Stevie Ray Vaughan. Tight, hard-hitting blues. A few acoustic blues provide a lighter touch in the middle of the album, before she concludes with Watchtower & Crossroads. She is also a first rate songwriter.

3 comments about Live & Well.

1. This album is actually two separate recordings in different places. Although I own this album on vinyl, this is the first I have ever see of it on cd. Side one of the LP, or the first five tracks, are deffinately the smoother and in general, a cooler venue. It has some of his cool early guitar riffs as it's right out of the sixties, and LIVE at that! The quality on vinyl, although not as crisp as something recorded digitally, has kind of a club sound to it so it sounds actually live. "Please Accept My Love" is deffinately a must listen to!



2. Although "Live & Well" is a rather unique and dynamic work of art which contains ten tracks, it's actually two sides in one...no, make that two ALBUMS in one, being that the first five selections make up the "Live" part, while the latter half of this disc features studio cuts - the "Well" half. There's no comparing or contrasting both halves of this CD, as the live material and the studio material compliment each other quite nicely, and without any major flaws, too. The only minor flaw on the studio tracks which feature blues legend Al Kooper on piano, is his playing, although quite masterful, comes across as being barely audible for the most part. Kooper's piano digitry is somewhat drowned out by the heavy-bottom bass playing featured here, which is why a remastered version of "Live & Well" is so desperately needed, complete with bonus tracks. As for the upstanding compositions on display here, B.B. King is up to his usual guitar playing virtuosity, especially on the "Live" versions of "Don't Answer The Door" and "Sweet Little Angel". The lone "Live" instrumental, "My Mood", contains lots of soul-searching, power-driven down-to-earth chords. The studio tracks have a lot to offer as well. "The King of the Blues" really "Gets Down To Business", as he provides some down-home primo licks on the effervescent "I Want You So Bad", the utterly demanding "Get Off My Back Woman", as well as on the "run the gamut-like" studio instrumental "Friends". But, it is on "Why I Sing The Blues", where B.B. really cuts to the chase, as he gives his fans a major clue as to why he's in the business of performing in the first place (besides his mastery and his love of his "girl" Lucille). Besides the work of Al Kooper on the studio-based "Well" selections, Hugh McCracken provides some top-notch guitar licks as well. It is due to the musical talents which come to the forefront in grand form on "Live & Well", that makes it a must-have, must own CD, and is one title that every B.B. King fan definitely needs to add to their collection - no ifs, ands or buts about it!!!



3. "Live and Well" features a blend of concert material from the late '60s with tunes recorded in the studio. The material is not uniformly brilliant, but there are enough high points, both in B.B.'s singing and his playing, to make this a worthy release.

   The best of the live material is the menacing "Don't Answer the Door," which King shouts over a pulsing organ line and punctuates with some wicked guitar licks. "Sweet Little Angel," a staple of his songbook, is also great, especially vocally. B.B's still one of the best blues singers around, and on "Angel" he shows off the power and sense of vulnerability he can deliver simultaneously.

   There are a couple of clunkers in the live offerings, however. "Please Accept My Love" has another strong vocal, but the tune is hampered by sappy lyrics. "Just a Little Love" is a sing-along that doesn't offer a whole lot musically or lyrically.

   The studio work includes a genuine classic, "Why I Sing the Blues," which is surely the definitive statement on that subject. King here is again in complete command as he storms through verse after powerful verse and unleashes some of his best solos on the record, if not ever. "I Want You So Bad" is a dark blues, mournful in the way that his hit "The Thrill Is Gone" was. Again, not all of the studio material is as strong as these two tunes, suggesting that King wasn't completely on his game for this date.

   Still, there are plenty of good moments on the recording, making it a good representation of B.B.'s late '60s work, when he was working toward crossover status.

No comments about Live at Tommy's on Main.

No comments about Live in Houston Busted In Austin.

2 comments about In Concert.

1. Son House was a delta blues giant that showed many followers like Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson the way to play the great blues. Son House was really the embodiment of the raw, mystical, powerful and deeply emotional Mississippi delta blues. He produced many great recordings after his rediscovery in in the early 60's, and Son House did this concert in 1965 on a show where Mississippi John Hurt also played. To hear the acappella 'A True friend is hard to find' and the incredibly intense 'It's so hard', to me that is the essence of the blues. The other songs are classic live recordings as well, Son House is inspired and in full force in front of a receptive audience. Take this home, and then listen to some of the greatest 60's blues recordings. Then proceed with the rest of his recordings, especially the 30's(collected on the Document records CD 'Complete recorded works') and 40's recordings(collected on the Travelin Man CD 'The Complete Library of Congress Sessions'), and 'The Father of the Folk Blues' on Columbia. Simply amazingly great stuff.



2. if you want to hear some great live son house, get "delta blues and spirituals" instead.

No comments about Live on Beale Street.

5 comments about Drinkin' TNT 'n' Smokin' Dynamite.

1. 
   Buddy Guy embraced many different styles and sounds throughout his career. His Gibson sound during his collaboration with Junior Wells is the one that appeals the most to me, and if you are into Buddy Guy stuff I am sure you will appreciate this album.
   
   A very energetic sound as the title of the album suggests, and it would really help you appreciate Buddy's roots from Chicago and Muddy Waters band all the way to his style today. In this album Buddy does not use overdrive as much and there aren't as many overbends as he uses these days. It's just pure, plain Chicago style blues that will give you the chills.
   
   A couple of words about Junior Wells. Besides being a very good hard (chromatic and diatonic) player, he also was a great showman. His raw vocals and unamplified harp sound are straight out of Mississippi delta. Listen to Hoodoo Man Blues for his finest on this CD.



2. Live from 1974 Montreaux jazz festival Buddy Guy and Junior Wells play with Pine Top Penkins and Bill Wyman. Sound quality is excellent, set selection is a nice combination of slow and fast tunes and Buddy and Junior do a nice job sharing the lime light. Buddy does a nice job of tone it down for Junior while still providing plenty of heat. Great rap with the crowd as well. If you get a chance to see Buddy live, please make the effort to see one of the last great blues men. This is a great CD for people who love live blues.



3. This album captures two of the best blues masters at their best in the mid-seventies. Blues was not on the radar during those years, but Buddy Guy and Junior Wells show how the blues was kept alive to an appreciative audience in Europe. (They even mention how they are not appreciated at home!)
   
   Since it was a live recording, the mix was not quite as balanced as I would have liked, since Terry Taylor and Pinetop Perkins play some tasty guitar and piano, respectively. But overall, the band cooks through an all-too-short set! A must-have, if for no other reason that it is a great representation of great blues in the mid-seventies.



4. What else can be said? Buddy and Junior at top form! A highlight is Buddy's heartfelt introduction to Ten Years Ago, thanking the European fans for making them feel more at home sometimes then they feel while on tour in the States.
   
   One thing very relavatory about this album for some people, would be finding out that Wyman is a truly excellent blues bassist,maybe as good as there has been...



5. This is some serious blues people. Real American homegrown. Listen to "When you see tears"..Buddy Guy has lived this, and it pours out in this song..."I can't sleep at night because I'm nervous"....its so potent, its so honest, not some wanked out British imitation...not for casual listeners or kids...

5 comments about Live & Direct.

1. If you like Taj Mahal, you probably don't need much convincing to buy his live reggae album. That being said, the steel drum work on this album sounds a bit like that you'd hear on the deck of a Carnival cruise ship and the "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" tease on track three will make anyone under the age of 35 blush in shame (say it ain't so, Taj!). Frankly some of the cuts are downright silly (#7 and the aforementioned #3, especially).
   Cavilling aside, tracks two and five are stellar cuts. #2 is an instrumental which exhales restrained funky breaths -- as hard as you'd be able to shake it while surfeited on beer-and-spliff under a 100-degree tropical sun. #5 is thicker, starting as a lullaby and dropping into a slow, earthy groove. The backup singers do their best work here, as well.



2. I love Taj Mahal. He is a brilliant artist and a charismatic performer. HOWEVER, I can't stand this album. Steel drums are nice and all, but for an entire album, it was a bit much for me. If you LOVE steel drums, then buy this.



3. This album by Taj is simple great, timeless, full of lovely and relaxed music. You will get a really nice feeling by listening to that outstanding stuff. I would say a benchmark. Buy it, you will never sell it!



4. Live albums can be a risky venture; the recording can be poor, the pressing can be cheap, the concert may be bad. None of these are a concern with this album, it is superior on all counts and reggae flows out of Taj Mahal as easily as the blues do.



5. Taj Mahal with a steel drum band. What else could anyone want on a warm summer night? I picked up this album while in college (early 80's). Loved it then, and I highly recommend the CD. The soundtracks Reggae No. 1 and Suva Serenade are added to the CD (they were not on the original album), which is a nice touch when one must buy a CD when he/she already has the album. It is one of the more distinct of Taj's outputs; I know I have no other Taj music quite like it. Little Brown Dog is one of my all time favorites. Take a Giant Step, while on several other Taj albums performed in a variety of ways, is truly unique and superb here. It has such a different feel than the other versions. Highly recommended.

No comments about Jimmy Reed at Soul City.

No comments about Badly Bent: The Best of King Biscuit Boy.