I'm going to get this out of my system in the first paragraph: Steven Seagal obviously thinks he's Above The Law producing an album like this. It's a good job I don't have a dodgy Ticker, as my ears were Under Siege listening to his blues album. So I made an Executive Decision to turn it off. Seagal might end up having a musical career that's Hard To Kill, but blues lovers will be Out For Justice and may even have Seagal Marked For Death if they don't like what he's done. Maybe the CD should be destroyed in a Fire Down Below, or beaten until it's Half Past Dead?
Apologies for that, and I'm glad I've got that out of the way; but I feel slightly guilty as a result. It just shows how easy it is to mock Seagal for doing something like this, and it's easy to take a cynical view; along the lines of "movie career ceases to be the brilliant example of action heroism that it once was, and given a capacity to produce music - and an apparent fondness for the blues - an album is produced". But that view sells things a little short, and doesn't tell the whole story.
In truth, what we have here is a fairly standard (dare I say "dull"?), if overlong and deeply self indulgent, blues album.
The opening track, "Somewhere In Between" is catchy, guitar-heavy blues-pop, and it's a good start to the album. Seagal's vocals are initially a surprise and they suit the tone of this track well. The second track, "Love Doctor" features a frankly awful female vocalist, and is the first of the really traditional blues tracks on the album. Seagal is in whispering and slurring mode; but it still suits. Seagal isn't the problem here.
The guitar work on the introduction to "Dark Angel" is pleasant, and we arrive firmly in trademark "whispering" Steve Seagal territory; it's a vocal delivery that any fan of Seagal's movies will recognise. Once again, this is a catchy number and suits Seagal's vocal delivery. The line "we all got to die someday" is one that he can get away with too; it's the sort of lyric you'd expect from an action hero.
Article comments
1 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article has been forwarded to the Advance.net websites and Boston.com.
2 - Lisa McKay
Dan, I'm guessing that I wouldn't like Seagal's music any more than I like his movies, but I just have to say that your first paragraph is a work of genius!
3 - monica trif
The first paragraph is very bad, and if there are people don/t like his music, don't listen it! I like the both Steven Seagal's albums and there are milion people like them so every one has a taste and an opinion but is not necessary to be grudge and respectless
4 - Lisa McKay
Agreed that everyone's entitled to an opinion, Monica, which is what a review essentially is -- one person's opinion.
A sense of humor is very helpful, too.
5 - Mark Saleski
i am shocked! that lisa mckay is not a steven seagal movie fan. shocked!! ;-)
6 - Daniel Woolstencroft
Thanks Lisa!
Monica - I'm glad you like Seagal's music, and I'm not being "respectless". I honestly think that given the right album, I'd really enjoy what Seagal does.
Each, as you say, to their own.
7 - sally
I hope this gets through, i've always admired steven segal as a martial artist, as i i do jujitsu myself, but when i listened to his crystal cave album especially the song "don't cry"which really got to me,iwas really impressed, i then got the mojo priest album and luckily got tickets for the southend concert, which made it magical for me as i have loved that place since childhood. I unfortunately didn't get to speak to him at the stage door, to say thankyou and to put my hands together and bow to him, every body makes mistakes in life when they are young i myself have made several, but this person i think is doing alot of good now and that what people should see for him now.
8 - sally
i made some mistakes in my last comment about steven segal but i hope people understands what i'am on about thanks.