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By Bill Altreuter

Here's the thing with Jeff Beck albums-- it is always great to hear him play, but his taste in material and in sidemen is frequently off. It sounds stupid to say about one of the last rock'n'roll musicians who routinely releases instrumental sides but it's true: it often seems as though he doesn't have much to say. When he is on his game that is never a problem. Reasonable minds may differ about how to rank them, but I think most fans would agree that "Wired" and "Blow by Blow" belong at the top of the list. I'd put "Truth" up there, and "Beck-ola", although it's pretty clear on the latter that he's not so happy working with a singer. That's been a problem for him, and my theory is that that's why he released so much stuff with such dreadful vocalists-- it's a way for him to be sure that people are more interested in the guitar than in the vocals. As much as I enjoy Beck's work, it's been a long time since I rushed out to buy a new Beck release. In fact, I didn't rush out to buy "Emotion & Commotion" either-- I won a copy, on 180-gram vinyl. (Thanks, Popdose!) If your taste in Jeff Beck albums is along the lines I've described, this is a Jeff Beck album you want, a useful blend of "Blow by Blow" Jeff Beck with strings and bloozier material featuring a couple of vocal numbers with Joss Stone and a couple more with Imelda May. It's a beautifully engineered recording and the total package is only marred by the Love Eagle on the cover. I can forgive Beck that, just as I forgive him his mullet. Someday that mullet will be in the Smithsonian-- it may already be the last one in the wild.

Full post as published by Outside Counsel on April 21, 2010 (boomark / email).