CD REVIEWS
Nothing can compare with a live Blues Show. Whether it is in a smoky Blues bar or a festival. Rarely, however, does that “being there feeling” translate well to a CD. There are exceptions and the following two reviews fit the mold.
Dave Hole – The Live One
Dave is my personal favorite slide player. His “over the top” style is due to a broken little finger in a football game. To be pain free, he needed to put the slide on his index finger and hang it over the top of the guitar neck. On this CD, Dave produces one blistering solo after another. I still cannot listen to the solo on, “Short Fuse Blues,” without the hair standing up on my neck. It is maybe the most intense guitar solo that I have ever heard. The eight minutes of “Up All Night Thinking,” were not enough. The Billboard Magazine Review warns readers, “Prepare to hear your jaw hitting the floor.” There are eleven great songs and Bullfrog Blues is a great way to wrap it up.
Luther Allison – Live in Chicago
It is a two CD set. One CD was recorded at the Chicago Blues Festival. The other was recorded at Buddy Guy’s Legends and the Zoo Bar. When Luther took the stage at the 1995 Chicago Blues Festival, he had not slept in two days. The day before, he had been at a festival in France, then it was off to Paris, catch a plane to Chicago and straight to the stage. What went down there was possibly the most intensely passionate music ever recorded. He was a star in Europe but not well known here in the states. That day he set out to change all of that. The James Solberg Band and The Memphis Horns backed him. In front of 150,000 Blues fans, he burned. He became the “hero” of the festival.
His second song, “Cherry Red Wine,” was five star Blues at its finest. If you do not own a Luther CD, this is a must! This was Luther Allison in his prime. He is known for his saying, “Leave your ego, play the music, love the people.” He gave the people all that he had that June day in Chicago.
Dave Hole – The Live One
Dave is my personal favorite slide player. His “over the top” style is due to a broken little finger in a football game. To be pain free, he needed to put the slide on his index finger and hang it over the top of the guitar neck. On this CD, Dave produces one blistering solo after another. I still cannot listen to the solo on, “Short Fuse Blues,” without the hair standing up on my neck. It is maybe the most intense guitar solo that I have ever heard. The eight minutes of “Up All Night Thinking,” were not enough. The Billboard Magazine Review warns readers, “Prepare to hear your jaw hitting the floor.” There are eleven great songs and Bullfrog Blues is a great way to wrap it up.Luther Allison – Live in Chicago
It is a two CD set. One CD was recorded at the Chicago Blues Festival. The other was recorded at Buddy Guy’s Legends and the Zoo Bar. When Luther took the stage at the 1995 Chicago Blues Festival, he had not slept in two days. The day before, he had been at a festival in France, then it was off to Paris, catch a plane to Chicago and straight to the stage. What went down there was possibly the most intensely passionate music ever recorded. He was a star in Europe but not well known here in the states. That day he set out to change all of that. The James Solberg Band and The Memphis Horns backed him. In front of 150,000 Blues fans, he burned. He became the “hero” of the festival.His second song, “Cherry Red Wine,” was five star Blues at its finest. If you do not own a Luther CD, this is a must! This was Luther Allison in his prime. He is known for his saying, “Leave your ego, play the music, love the people.” He gave the people all that he had that June day in Chicago.
-- Jim Weber
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