CD Review: Paul Rodgers & Friends - Live at Montreux 1994

CD Review: Paul Rodgers & Friends - Live at Montreux 1994
Eagle Records
All Access Review:  A-

In 1993, Paul Rodgers was a free man. The Firm had dissolved, the legendary front man was above and beyond The Law, Bad Company had become a distant, but still treasured, memory and the revered Free was long gone. Left with nothing to do, the singer with the brawny, torn-and-frayed pipes and expressive, denim-clad delivery looked again to the blues, his one true love, for inspiration. He found it in the music of Muddy Waters.

Keen to pay homage to the great man, Rodgers didn’t break character. Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters may have contained the spark of the Chicago-style electric blues that Waters once perfected, but it was powered by the blues-rock combustion of Rodgers’ work with Bad Company and Free. Not all of the tracks on Muddy Water Blues, the second of Rodgers’ solo albums, were Waters covers, but his spirit haunts the record, inhabiting its grooves and inspiring Rodgers and his collaborators. In 1994, a year after Muddy Water Blues’ arrival, Rodgers brought much of that record to life in a blustery, sweaty concert at Montreux, where he was joined onstage by the likes of Journey guitarist Neal Schon, drummer Jason Bonham, guitarist Ian Hatton and bassist John Smithson, as well as several guests, including Queen’s Brian May, Toto’s Steve Lukather and blues veterans Luther Allison, Eddie Kirkland, Sherman Robertson, Robert Lucas and Kenny Neal.

Though a star-studded affair, Live at Montreux 1994 has more of a blue-collar feel. This is a workingman’s record, with dirt under its fingernails and calluses on its hands. Sprinkled with plenty of songs that Rodgers made famous with Free and Bad Company, Live at Montreux 1994 also finds Rodgers digging his hands into the earthy soil of blues classics like Waters’ “Louisiana Blues,” which simmers with menace and pure nastiness on the stove here, letting all the rich flavors – including a particularly tasty guitar solo – sink into its meaty textures. In a surprising turn, May gets down and dirty on the Sonny Boy Williamson number “Good Morning Little School Girl,” his distorted guitar becoming a careening crop duster that dives and climbs with all the daring of pilot with a death wish. The highlight of a sensational set, “Good Morning Little School Girl” is simply mean, burning with intensity and passionate playing. To finish off the night, Rodger and crew slam into Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” and the closer, “Hoochie Coochie Man” by Willie Dixon, with all the force of a hurricane. The guitars sound like switchblades on and cut deeply with every note on “Crossroads,” as the rhythm section works up a mean, mean thirst crawling through the gutter on “Hoochie Coochie Man.”

Three of the songs Dixon wrote for Waters, including 1954’s “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “I’m Ready” and 1961’s “Let Me Love You Baby,” are included here and performed with all the righteous fervor of a tent revival ministry, as is Booker T. & the MGs’ “The Hunter.” Just as propulsive and muscular are the Rodgers’ classics “All Right Now,” the old Free hit, and rust-covered Bad Company diamonds “Can’t Get Enough (of Your Love)” and “Feel Like Making Love.” Ever the professional, Rodgers’ nuanced vocals add richness and depth to each track, while his handpicked group of hired guns plays the daylights out of this material almost all the way through, with the exception of the rare uninspired moment. The recording quality is pretty sound and world-class music writer Malcolm Dome does the show justice with well-written, informative liner notes. All of this makes you wonder if, or when, Rodgers will delve even deeper into the blues down the road.

- Peter Lindblad

Purchase CD: Artist Link 

Collectible Vintage Posters:

Bad Company
Queen

This Just In: Brian Howe ends his recording career with EP

From Brian Howe, one time lead singer for Bad Company (posted on his Facebook page):

"MY NEW E.P. IS RELEASED ON MUSIC DOWNLOAD SITES TODAY.
CALLED "EMOTIONS" IT MARKS THE END OF MY RECORDING CAREER.
I DID NOT MAKE IT WITH A RECORD COMPANY AS I WANTED IT TO BE PERSONAL FROM ME TO YOU. I AM VERY PROUD OF THIS EFFORT WHICH WAS INFLUENCED BY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.
PLEASE TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK ABOUT THIS RECORD AND SREAD THE WORD.
IT WILL BE STRANGE TO NEVER RECORD AGAIN BUT WITH THE ADVENT OF FREE MUSIC DOWNLOAD SITES AND RECORD COMPANIES WITH NO CLUE. THE TIME IS RIGHT TO RETIRE.
I HOPE YOU ENJOY LISTENING TO REAL "EMOTIONS" AS MUCH AS I DID MAKING IT."

Classic melodic rock CD of the week

By Stephen Kasenda

BAD COMPANY “Here Comes Trouble” (1992)

“Here Comes Trouble" marked the end of Brian Howe's era in Bad Company after 8 years with the band since he replaced Paul Rodgers in 1986. For those who haven't heard of him before, Howe possessed a smooth pop-rock and laid back vocal which is a bipolar opposite of the bluesy voice of Paul Rodgers. The album itself is very different ...in contrast to their early hard rock roots you'll feel a breezy blow of the thick AOR winds, thanks to the major contribution of Brian Howe.

"How About That", the first track of the album, was their biggest hit, spending over six weeks on the chart. I found this song to be an enchanting and beautiful showcase of Howe's majestic voice. The next single, "This Could Be The One", is another acoustic power ballad gem, but "Hold On To My Heart" is definitely the best pick on the album. Looking for an uptempo track here is a tough job as most of the songs are slower but "Take This Town" and "Stranger Than Fiction" are great examples of Howe's songwriting capability. Avoid "Both Feet In The Water" and "Brokenhearted", but take a close look at the other great songs such as "What About You" and "My Only One".

The swansong release of Brian Howe in Bad Company is a forgotten jewel of '92, especially if you're fond of melodic rock and AOR genre. The production is warm with the highlight being Howe's voice and the superb compositions. I recommend you pick this up for those singles alone but you'll be swarmed with at least 7-8 wonderful songs inside, so how about that?

Read more of Stephen’s features at MetalMusicArchives.

Review: Bucket and Co. “Guitars, Beers, and Tears”

Best known as the long time guitarist for Bad Company (beginning in 1990 with their blockbuster comeback, “Holy Water”), Dave 'Bucket' Colwell has just released his first solo album, “Guitars, Beers & Tears.” Bucket has surrounded himself with good company over the years, and many of his friends are featured guests on his record. The list is long, but worth articulating. We have Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith lending vocals and lead guitar to “Make Up Your Mind” and vocals on “Reach Out” (he sounds a lot like Sammy Hagar here), Edwin McCain on “Why You Call” and “Survive”, Steve Conte from The New York Dolls singing “If You Need Me At All”, Spike from The Quireboys on “Girl of My Dreams” and “I’d Lie”, Danny Bowes from Thunder on “Life”, just to name a few. To say that “Guitars, Beers, and Tears” isn’t comprised of one of the most diversely talented groups of musicians and vocalists is an understatement. The first concern is that Bucket and Co. is going to sound like a disjointed mess, but the record plays like one big all-star party straight through. It is surprisingly cohesive despite the revolving door of players and singers because nearly every song is centered on a strong rock hook with Bucket’s distinctive guitar licks taking it to the next level.

Bucket has a long and storied career in the music business and has appeared with many artists including Bon Jovi, Slash, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and ZZ Top to name a few, and you’ll hear bits and pieces of their influence and others throughout “Guitars, Beers, and Tears”. There are lots of excellent tunes that blend classic rock and blues with those sweet AOR melodies from 80s rock. Colwell is a terrific songwriter trying to bring fun, memorable melodies back into rock. My favorite cuts include “Make Up Your Mind”, “Why You Call”, “If You Need Me” and “Life”. The only tracks that didn’t work so well for me are those sung by Spike – sorry, but the guy’s voice is shot. He still sounds OK on a rough and tumble rocker, but he simply isn't suited for softer songs or ballads – it makes about as much sense as blowing your nose with sandpaper.

In my opinion, “Guitars, Beers, and Tears” is one of the most pleasant melodic rock surprises of the year. This is Dave 'Bucket' Colwell’s self-proclaimed labor of love, and it is a record that demands to be on everyone’s bucket list.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10

Bucket and Co. on MySpace. Official Site.