The sun actually appeared outside this week, in abundance, as opposed to just teasing us. Fortunately, a few releases have come that are less morose than much of the stuff I have to review. As you may have noticed, I like a bit of variety in every column
DVD review
Jeff Beck: Performing this Week
When it comes to a guy like Jeff Beck there are quite a few people who don’t really need this review. He has his avid fans and a few detractors who can’t really see what all the fuss is about. He does have a reputation as someone who is a bit headstrong and knows what he wants. It is very hard to listen or watch the man play and not admire the talent seeping from every pore of his body.
Jeff Beck, one of the famous Yardbirds, (a band that also spawned Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton) has had a patchy popular career. One of its peaks is the gospel-esque track, originally recorded with Rod Steward, “People get Ready”. On this live DVD, filmed at a several night stand at the famous Ronny Scott’s Jazz Club, he has Joss Stone handle the vocal duties on that song. I am not sure why, possibly nerves, but she over-cooks the vocals and seems like she is trying to hard to be a soul diva. Her re-interpretation of the song sucks all the beauty of the original song out and turns into pap.
Other than that, this is a guitar tour de force with his band in some of the tightest form you can imagine. Eric Clapton shows up for a run-through of “Little Brown Bird” and “You Need Love”, two Blues classics. Quite an impressive collection of his “hits” with Beck playing at his best in front of an adoring crowd. This being a DVD, there are extra interviews with Beck on each of his guests, the band, and his career. At 155 minutes of music and extras, this is quite a good value DVD.
As I said from the outset I can’t imagine a reason for a fan of Jeff Beck’s or great blues guitar not to buy this release. If you don’t know Jeff Beck, this is not a bad place to start.
CD Reviews
Leprous: Tall Poppy Syndrome
With a name like Leprous you might expect extreme death or black leanings resulting in cacophony. In fact, what Leprous specialize in is just the opposite. These guys produce quite a good line in prog metal and are getting lots of props in their own land of... wait for it... Norway. It must be the water in Norway, for they seem produce lots and lots of good metal in great variety.
Article comments