Album Review: "Blues For Jimi" by Gary Moore

There are still a great many artists out there that I am trying hear what the others hear. Gary Moore fits into this list. Seeing his name bandied about on guitar forums and on the head stocks of signature model Les Pauls caught my attention.

Turns out he was a solo artist and a member of Thin Lizzy for a time. These things took me completely unaware. He is also mentioned frequently in interviews I've read in Guitar World. If he sets so many other guitarists, including high level pros, then this is someone who should stop being unknown to me. 

He's also another in the legion of white guitarists who love the blues and obviously he's rather adept at it. The more and more I hear, the more and more I realize that I need to give this man a full listening. "Blues For Jimi" is something that Amazon has recommended to me over and over, so maybe there is something to this. It was recorded in 2007 at a special tribute to Jimi Hendrix, obviously.

Album Review: People, Hell and Angels

Once more, Experience Hendrix has put together another posthumous album. Their first attempt, First Rays, was their attempt to piece together Jimi's follow up to "Electric Ladyland." The successors to that album have been unreleased material, outtakes, and unfinished songs and "People, Hell and Angels" is no different there. What makes this album different from it's predecessor is the people that are accompanying Jimi on the record.

Like Neptune, there is no single line up of the Jimi Hendrix Experience here, but unlike Neptune, there are far more lineups, and some noteworthy guests. The Cherry People, the Ghetto Fighters, Lonnie Youngblood, and even Stephen Stills are on this album that is presupposed as the direction Jimi was going to take after finishing the tour he was on when he died. This is not an album, but a collection of songs that Jimi recorded over various sessions over the years.

Album Review: "First Rays of the New Rising Sun" by Jimi Hendrix

Let's take another foray into the world of Jimi Hendrix. (There will be two others on the horizon as well, including the new release in March.)

It has been said thousands of millions of times that Jimi was the greatest, and that has not changed a single bit. There are many kinds of artists that play music, but it is felt by this blogger that Jimi was far more than just a musician. He was a poet, but he was not just any poet with a pen.

Part of the poetry that Jimi recited night in and night out took place through his hands and because of the kind of artist Jimi was, it is very important that when outside hands, even Janie Hendrix's, are touching his works that the utmost care be taken. It would be like making some changes to Shakespeare's plays now. Of course they do that, but that's neither here nor there... Right?

Album Review: "Irish Tour '74" by Rory Gallagher

I like to pride myself on knowing a lot about music, and particularly of the great guitarists. In the past few months, I've learned that there's still a lot out there that I am not familiar with.

About a month and a half ago, I was told t hat I should get this album. I had never heard of Rory Gallagher and couldn't figure out why a tour of Ireland would be all that significant, but I put it on the Amazon wishlist and there is languished for awhile.

During the Holiday Amazon Giftcard Blowout, I picked it up. I should also mention that purchasing this CD is a violation of personal policy. I will not buy a live album as my introduction to an artist. It's always ended badly in the past.

I still had heard nothing else of the man, but I thought, I listened to half of a track and wasn't too impressed so I should get this. Right? After ordering it, I was told by a number of people that I was nuts for thinking that this album might not be amazing.

Classic Album Review: "Electric Ladyland" by Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix.

The godfather of it all. Call this a slight tribute to the man who changed everything, and who's got a new record coming out next year, his third posthumous release under the Experience Hendrix label.

I love Jimi Hendrix, but I never had much in the way of his studio albums. I mean, who doesn't have "Are You Experienced?," but I never had this one or "Axis: Bold As Love." This is something that I'm working on fixing as we speak. I've had several live albums, some greatest hits collections, but there's something special about hearing the music as the artist intended on the original albums and Jimi was definitely an artist. He was a true genius and a true believer in what he sang about. This album was the last of the Experience, and the last studio release of Hendrix's life. It was, in more ways than one, the beginning of the end and a perfect swansong.

Album Review "Blak and Blu" by Gary Clark Jr.

A couple weeks ago I'm driving home and my wife texts me. At an appropriate time I check my phone and it says "google gary clark jr album black and blue." I had no idea what she was talking about. The next day, I did just that and found a trailer for the album Blak and Blu by the man himself. As was pointed out, there was no way she could have known that the spelling was off as she heard about this on NPR...yes. Another NPR recommended album. We're really cool.

Please note: become a member of your local NPR station!

Let's get this train back on the rails here. I watched a trailer for the album and I saw a passionate young man playing several different semi-hollow guitars with P-90 pickups and I was floored by what I heard. His growling guitar, his powerful vocals, seeing him make the President dance, and his Hendrix inspired riffage. Yeah, I'll admit it, my wife hit the nail on the head with this one.