It’s the time of year for saving money!
Title: Jerry Reed –
The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed
Genre: Country
Description: A double CD with 35 tracks, The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed serves as monument
to the genius of Jerry Reed. If you think heavy metal guitarists can shred,
give a listen to “The Claw.” Reed was guitar monster who’s breezy “oh shucks”
manner made him a top-10 Country fave in the ’60’s and ’70’s. Even at his hokiest,
such as on “Remembering” Jerry Reed was a masterful performer. In Reed’s words “There
ain’t no room around here for a guitar man.” Until now…
Rating (0- 10): Overall – 9, Sonically – 8
Title: Electric Hot Tuna – Jorma’s 70th Birthday
Celebration
Genre: Rock, Blues
Description: This live performance DVD, recorded Dec 3
and 4th at NYC’s Beacon Theater, is not your typical
well-choreographed and carefully orchestrated rock concert. The on-stage
attitude is loose and relaxed, with lots of space between numbers and room for
improvisational flights of fancy. Too bad the production values on this DVD
don’t match the performances. Both the sound and the picture are medium
resolution at best. Even on my computer’s 26″ screen the picture was soft, and
the sound is murky and distant.
Rating (0- 10): Overall – 7, Sonically – 5, Visually – 5
Title: Jesse Terry – Empty Seat On A Plane
Genre: Folk, singer-songwriter, Country
Description: With his high reedy tenor voice Jesse Terry’s vocals sound like a cross between Paul Simon and The Indigo Girls. But once you
get past the initial surprise of his vocal timbre, his subtly nuanced and
richly textured music has the power to move you. Terry writes solid,
well-crafted songs that have more gravitas and emotional strength than most
contemporary country music. Produced, engineered and mixed by Neilson Hubbard,
who obviously has very good ears, the sound is both lush and intimate.
Rating (0- 10): Overall – 8, Sonically – 8
Title: Manuel Galban – Blue Cha Cha
Genre: Latin Jazz
Description: First heard by many audiophiles on the
Grammy-winning Ry Cooder project, Buena Vista Social Club, Cuban jazz guitarist
Manual Galban leads a big band through twelve rhythmically intricate and
elegantly arranged compositions. The companion DVD, instead of a live or
concert performance is a documentary that includes footage from the recording
sessions as well as many scenes from historical and contemporary Cuba.
Rating (0- 10): Overall – 8, Sonically – 8 Visually – 8
Title: Lloyd Jones – Doin’ What it Takes
Genre: Blues, Funk, Rock
Description: If blues with a funk edge is your thing, Doin’ What it Takes will have you jukin’
by the fourth measure of the opening tune, “Bend in The River.” Seven of the
ten tunes on the album are Lloyd Jones originals, but even on the covers, such
as Maceo Merriweather’s “Worried Life Blues” Jones’ guitar and vocals shine. The
recording quality is impressive, as you would expect from a Reference
Recordings’ project.
Rating (0- 10): Overall – 8, Sonically – 9
