Record Reviews - RecordDB

Artist	Title	Review
Angelique Kidjo	Oremi
Albert King	Blues Power
B.B. King	Live At The Regal
B.B. King	The King Of The Blues
B.B. King	Let The Good Times Roll: The Music Of Louis Jordon	<p>Even if B.B. King is the King of the Blues, some might find it strange that he chose to record <I>Let the Good Times Roll</I>, a tribute album to Louis Jordan, the King of Jump Blues. King's work was never as boisterous or enthusiastic as Jordan's, but his debt is apparent from the first cut of the album. King may have never done straight jump blues, but his sophisticated urban blues — complete with horn sections and an emphasis on vocals — shows as much jump influence as it does Delta.</p><p><I>Let the Good Times Roll</I> brings that home with a quiet, seductive insistence. Backed by a stellar band — featuring <A href="javascript:z('Bos820rnac48p')">Dr. John</A> on piano, drummer Earl Palmer, alto saxophonist Hank Crawford, and tenor saxophonist Dave "Fathead" Newman, among others — B.B. King sounds loose and natural. There are stars in the band, but this is hardly a bloated all-star effort, since the focus in on delivering no-nonsense performances. Strangely enough, King doesn't play that much guitar on the album, concentrating on his vocals and letting the band interact. When he does solo, it's as elegant and tasteful as always, but the focal point is always the songs. Since he's such a fine guitarist, B.B.'s singing often goes underappreciated, but here it's at the forefront, and he shines. His phrasing is impeccable, and he always captures the spirit of the songs, either through humor or heart. Of course, that's a skill that Jordan had, as well, and realizing that sheds new light on B.B.'s music. Much of his celebrated skills as a showman and a performer indirectly came from Jordan, as did elements of his musical style. Never has that been as clear as it is on <I>Let the Good Times Roll</I>.</p><p>— <B>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</B> -- AllMusic</p><p> </p><p>Albums consisting entirely of one artist paying tribute to another arecommonplace, especially in the blues world where a particular artist'smusical heritage is easy to trace. It's rare, though, for an artist ofB.B. King's caliber to do such a tribute, and we're all lucky that theartist he chose to honor is Louis Jordan--the King of the Blues saluting the King of Swing. King'sclean, expressive guitar style and rough-hewn voice are so distinctivethat there's no mistaking them for anyone else's, and hearing them appliedto Jordan's classic songs--including "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens,""Somebody Done Changed the Lock on My Door," "Saturday Night Fish Fry,"and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"--demonstrates both King'sconsiderable skill and the great versatility of Jordan's songwriting. Thatmakes this record more than a mere curiosity, as does the stellar pianowork from another living legend, <A href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/34011/002-9958316-7028034">Dr. John</A>.</p> <p>--<b>Genevieve Williams</b> -- CDNow</p>
Carole King	City Streets (CD single)
Carole King	The Essential Carole King	<p>Unlike many previous Carole King collections, Sony/Legacy's 2010 set The Essential Carole King doesn't concentrate solely on her hits as a performer: it also has a second disc of songs she wrote for other artists, the songs that established her reputation as one of the great songwriters of her time. Despite the broad scope of Essential, it's inevitable that some classics are missing -- naturally more on the second Songwriter disc, which offers merely a sampling of the many great songs she penned, whereas all her big hits ("I Feel the Earth Move," "So Far Away," "It's Too Late," "You've Got a Friend," "Jazzman") save the inexplicably missing "Smackwater Jack" are on the first -- but this does contain the lion's share of her major songs as both a singer and songwriter, making it the best overview of her work released to date.</p><p><strong>—Stephen Thomas Erlewine</strong></p>
Freddie King	Burglar
Kings Of Leon	Because Of The Times
Kings Of Leon	Live At The O2 London, England [Blu-ray]
Mark Knopfler	Local Hero	<p>Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler's intricate, introspective fingerpicked guitar stylings make a perfect musical complement to the wistful tone of Bill Forsyth's comedy film, Local Hero. This album was billed as a Knopfler solo album rather than an original soundtrack album, with the notation "music...for the film." Knopfler brings along Dire Straits associates Alan Clark (keyboards) and John Illsley (bass), plus session aces like saxophonist Mike Brecker, vibes player Mike Mainieri, and drummers Steve Jordan and Terry Williams. The low-key music picks up traces of Scottish music, but most of it just sounds like Dire Straits doing instrumentals, especially the recurring theme, one of Knopfler's more memorable melodies. Gerry Rafferty (remember him from "Baker Street"?) sings the one vocal selection, "That's the Way It Always Starts."</p><p>— <strong>William Ruhlmann</strong></p>
Mark Knopfler	Local Hero	<p>Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler's intricate, introspective fingerpicked guitar stylings make a perfect musical complement to the wistful tone of Bill Forsyth's comedy film, Local Hero. This album was billed as a Knopfler solo album rather than an original soundtrack album, with the notation "music...for the film." Knopfler brings along Dire Straits associates Alan Clark (keyboards) and John Illsley (bass), plus session aces like saxophonist Mike Brecker, vibes player Mike Mainieri, and drummers Steve Jordan and Terry Williams. The low-key music picks up traces of Scottish music, but most of it just sounds like Dire Straits doing instrumentals, especially the recurring theme, one of Knopfler's more memorable melodies. Gerry Rafferty (remember him from "Baker Street"?) sings the one vocal selection, "That's the Way It Always Starts."</p><p>— <strong>William Ruhlmann</strong></p>
Mark Knopfler	Cal	<p>With the core of Dire Straits augumented by Paul Brady and Liam O'Flynn, Knopfler set out to give this score a somewhat Irish spin, though keeping that light. A quiet, reflective set of cues that eschew false dramatics in favor of supporting the story. Knopfler completists will want the entire album, of course; others might as well settle for the several excerpts on Screenplaying.</p><p>— <strong>Steven McDonald</strong></p>
Mark Knopfler	Comfort And Joy
Mark Knopfler	Cal	<p>With the core of Dire Straits augumented by Paul Brady and Liam O'Flynn, Knopfler set out to give this score a somewhat Irish spin, though keeping that light. A quiet, reflective set of cues that eschew false dramatics in favor of supporting the story. Knopfler completists will want the entire album, of course; others might as well settle for the several excerpts on Screenplaying.</p><p>— <strong>Steven McDonald</strong></p>
Mark Knopfler	Last Exit To Brooklyn	<p>Unlike Mark Knopfler's first three soundtracks, his music for Last Exit to Brooklyn did not sound like outtakes from Dire Straits sessions, but instead consisted of fully orchestrated scoring, even if the credit "music performed by Guy Fletcher" suggested that most of the string-like sound was being made by a synthesizer. Nevertheless, this was Knopfler's most ambitious and accomplished soundtrack.</p><p>— <strong>William Ruhlmann</strong></p>
Mark Knopfler	Golden Heart	<p>Mark Knopfler's debut non-soundtrack solo album, Golden Heart, was, in effect, the follow-up to the last Dire Straits studio album, On Every Street (1991). But it was also a compendium of the various musical endeavors in which Knopfler had engaged since emerging as a major figure in 1978. "Imelda" was cast in the mold of "Money for Nothing," with its trademark electric guitar riff and sardonic lyrics about Imelda Marcos, and other songs resembled Dire Straits songs, notably "Cannibals," which recalled "Walk of Life." But "A Night in Summer Long Ago" was presented in a Scots/Irish traditional folk style, complete with a lyric about a knight and a queen and would have fit nicely on Knopfler's soundtrack for The Princess Bride, and "Are We in Trouble Now" was a country ballad featuring pedal steel guitar and the piano playing of Nashville session ace Hargus "Pig" Robbins that would have been appropriate for Knopfler's duo album with Chet Atkins. For all that, there was little on the album that was new or striking, and Knopfler seemed to fall back on familiar guitar techniques while intoning often obscure lyrics. You get the feeling that there was a story behind each song, but except in the cases of "Rudiger," a character study of an autograph hunter, and "Done with Bonaparte," the lament of a 19th century French soldier on the retreat from Moscow, you might have to read Knopfler's interviews to find out what the songs were actually about. Knopfler hadn't used the opportunity of a solo album to challenge himself, and at the same time he had lost the group identity (however illusory) provided by the Dire Straits name. The result was listenable but secondhand.</p><p>— <strong>William Ruhlmann</strong></p>
Mark Knopfler	Wag The Dog	<p>Mark Knopfler wrote and performed the soundtrack to Barry Levinson's political satire Wag the Dog, and it is one of his best scores, alternately graceful and rootsy. Seven of the eight tracks are instrumental, with the last being reserved for the agreeably humorous single "Wag the Dog."</p><p>— <strong>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</strong></p>
Mark Knopfler	Sailing To Philadelphia	<p>Mark Knopfler's second solo album might as well be called Dire Straits' eighth studio album, though Knopfler abandoned the group name back in 1996, dispensing with hefty sales in the process. There was never much doubt that the fame and lifestyle coincident with platinum sales made him uncomfortable, and discontinuing the Dire Straits billing was a means of walking away from all that. It also allowed him to indulge his love for various musical genres more, and that process continues on Sailing to Philadelphia. True, Knopfler's basic approach remains the same -- as a guitarist, he is still enamored of the minor-key finger-picking style of J.J. Cale, and as a singer/songwriter, he remains enthralled with Bob Dylan. But in one song after another on this album, you get the feeling that he started out playing some familiar song in a specific genre and eventually extrapolated upon it enough to call it an original.</p> <p>Knopfler has grafted his own lyrical concerns to these songs, often playing up the lives of humble people (especially musicians), and putting down powerful people (especially rock stars). There are also story-songs on wide-ranging subjects, but the theme of life on the road and the dichotomy between the rich and famous (what Knopfler is) and the poor and powerless (those he identifies with) predominate. Working with a two-guitars, two-keyboards, bass and drums band (like Dire Straits), Knopfler brings in a variety of sympathetic guests, notably James Taylor, Van Morrison, and Squeeze leaders Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford. These guest stars provide pleasant contrast to Knopfler's modest vocal talents, but they never steal the spotlight from the leader. (Well, okay, Morrison does.) His ability to hold his own is some indication that, however self-effacing he may be, he remains a star. [In 2005 Sailing to Philadelphia was reissued with a bonus DVD that featured "behind the scenes" footage" as well as interviews with Knopfler and his band.]</p><p>— <strong>William Ruhlmann</strong></p>
Mark Knopfler	Privateer	<p>Mark Knopfler's now produced more studio albums as a solo artist, than he did with the band that he will forever be remembered for, Dire Straits. Discounting various soundtracks and side projects, his seventh solo outing Privateering is an ambitious double record that continues his latter day purple patch. Equal helpings of Celtic inspired folk, traditional blues, country, and that Geordie sense of humour, make the 20 tracks here less of a marathon, and more a stroll down memory lane.</p><p>It's also clear that the break in recording to join a European leg of Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour, helped to galvanise the material. There's a loose theme about life on the road to be found, signalled by the historic naval roots of the album title itself. The act of Privateering was to join the crew of a privately owned vessel to aid the state during wartime. A modern interpretation of that could well be to join a band and make a stand against the world around you.</p><p>It seems that is Knopfler's intention here as some gentle political commentary occasionally bubbles to the surface (The cash in hand scraping by of 'Corned Beef City' springs to mind.). Even the album cover of a beaten up van suggests a touring mentality, and a brief glimpse of the track listing indicates an ever-changing landscape (for example 'Redbud Tree' and 'Seattle'). With a six night stint booked at the Royal Albert Hall next year, it seems that Knopfler is also very at home on tour, and Privateering will serve well to bolster an already expansive set list for those shows.</p><p>One of the standout tracks 'Radio City Serenade' starts with one of the most memorable lyrics from the record; "You've got to have no credit cards, to know how good it feels". Knopfler is pining for a more simple time as trumpets, guitars and violins create a bustling cityscape in his ode to New York. Elsewhere a character from a Dire Straits song seems to have been given a blues makeover. 'Hot Or Not' has that swaggering almost spoken vocal delivery that Knopfler first used on 'My Parties' (which can be found on Dire Straits' final album On Every Street). But here, instead of a comment on yuppie culture, he re-imagines the protagonist as a Mississippi delta gambler on a winning streak ("I'll read 'em like a book. Let's go have a drink or two and talk about the scalps I took."). With a traditional blues backing complete with harmonica and piano it's the perfect atmosphere for Knopfler to pull out one of his trademark solos too.</p><p>That's perhaps the point of Privateering, no matter where Knopfler takes the listener on his whistle stop tour of musical styles, his unique guitar picking is never far away. While some of the lyrics are world weary and tinged with regret, there's a certain joy to be found in his chameleonic guitar playing. Knopfler's also put together a very versatile band which shares the spotlight on many occasions. He may well be the captain of this ship, but it's his crew that keep it on course. While those hoping that Knopfler may be heading back to safer waters may be disappointed here, he's embraced roots music wholeheartedly and with some real success.</p><p>— <strong>Jim Pusey</strong></p>

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