Various Artists - The Blues "White Album"

Artist:

Various Artists

UPC:

089408355325

Description:

This CD is a tribute to The Beatles 1968 release, commonly referred to as THE WHITE ALBUM. Additional personnel includes: G.E. Smith (guitar); Peter Re (organ); T-Bone Wolk (bass); Steve Holley (drums). Recorded at The Studio, Portland, Maine in June 2001. Personnel: Lucky Peterson (vocals, guitar, organ); Chris Duarte, Colin Linden, Jimmy Thackery, Joe Louis Walker (vocals, guitar); Kenny Neal (vocals, harmonica); Anders Osborne, T-Bone Wolk, Tab Benoit, Maria Muldaur (vocals); G.E. Smith (guitar); Charlie Musselwhite (harmonica); James Carpenter (saxophone); Peter Re (organ); Steve Holley, Mark Stutso (drums). Audio Mixer: Lincoln Clapp. Recording information: The Studio, Portland, ME (06/2001). Arrangers: G.E. Smith; Steve Holley; T-Bone Wolk. Telarc stretches their label tribute series concept practically to the breaking point when they attempt to breathe blues life into the Beatles` sprawling masterwork. George Benson and Booker T. & the MG`s tried similar treatments of Abbey Road, but the White Album, with its wildly diverse styles, hasn`t been ripe for reinterpretation, especially in a blues mode. Although it`s ultimately disappointing, this does have enough moments to appeal to fans of the participating artists and the genre. Whittling down the original double album`s 30 tracks to a more manageable ten still doesn`t explain why such naturally bluesy rockers like "Savoy Truffle," "Birthday," and "Back in the USSR" were ignored in favor of the bouncy pop of "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" and "Don`t Pass Me By." Both fall flat here, with Maria Muldaur sounding completely lost on the former, and bass-playing sessionman T-Bone Wolk`s unconvincingly wimpy vocals on the latter. Chris Duarte takes the title of "I`m So Tired" too much too heart as he practically sleepwalks though a mumbling, shambling version of the druggy tune that sounds like a demo bolstered by a snazzy guitar solo. Anders Osborne comes up empty handed while attempting to inject R&B into the twisting "Happiness Is a Warm Gun," but the song`s winding, disjointed melody and free-form lyrics don`t translate well to a blues interpretation. Even "Yer Blues," the most obvious cover, comes up short of its potential, as Lucky Peterson seems like a caricature of himself, working too hard to put it across as slow Chicago blues. Peterson shares guitar and vocals with Louisiana`s Kenny Neal and Tab Benoit (at the time of this disc`s issue, all three were not-so-coincidentally signed to Telarc, as were most of the other artists involved) on a rocking "Revolution" that comes closest to achieving this album`s intention. Joe Louis Walker expands "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to twice its original length, effectively digging into the guts of the tune in a stirring, near-wrenching performance. Similarly, the always-classy Charlie Musselwhite transforms "Dear Prudence" into an eight-minute instrumental epic, complete with crying harp and Colin Linden`s sympathetic slide guitar. That, along with an acoustic "Blackbird," which takes McCartney`s simple love song down to the Delta in an imaginative and moving unplugged version by Linden, shows the potential of this undertaking. It doesn`t all gel, but the highlights show promise for future projects to be more successful. ~ Hal Horowitz

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. Why Don`t We Do It in the Road? - Jimmy Thackery & the Drivers
2. Yer Blues - Lucky Peterson
3. Happiness Is a Warm Gun - Anders Osborne
4. Revolution - Kenny Neal/Tab Benoit/Lucky Peterson
5. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - Maria Muldaur
6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Joe Louis Walker
7. Don`t Pass Me By - T-Bone Wolk
8. I`m So Tired - Chris Duarte
9. Blackbird - Colin Linden
10. Dear Prudence - Colin Linden/Charlie Musselwhite

Album Information

Release Date:

01/22/2002

Type:

Collection

Genre:

Blues

Subgenre:

Regional Collections

Label:

Telarc Distribution

Producer:

Randy Labbe; Randy Labbe (Compilation)

Catalog Number:

83553

Original Release Year:

2002

# of Discs:

1

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

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