Eric Burdon My Secret Life CD

My Secret Life consists of 13 tracks that form a loose song cycle revolving around Eric Burdon's love of American music, specifically R&B, soul, blues, and jazz. While that theme dominates the entire record it is especially true on the eight tunes penned or co-written by Burton. "Can't Kill the Boogieman" is a heartfelt tribute dedicated to John Lee Hooker featuring Burdon's cherished memories of the blues legend sung over the tune of Hooker's classic "Boogie Chillen." He also shades/characterizes such artists as Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Philly Joe Jones, Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, Otis Redding, and Chet Baker with first person observations, a skill no doubt honed with a foray into writing his autobiography Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: A Memoir. Burdon's voice is in fine shape, and he effortlessly jumps from soft spoken passages to his trademark blues grit that remains instantly recognizable from his days as vocalist of the Animals in the '60s. What really makes this effort stand out from previous solo albums is the music itself. Instead of relying on the vocals to carry the music, My Secret Life allows the music to flow with unrestrained character darting off in several eclectic directions. "Once Upon a Time" apes both the Band and Van Morrison circa 1970, "The Secret" has slight elements of world rhythms, "Factory Girl" and "Highway 62" are dominated by a snaky Memphis guitar reminiscent of Pops Staples, and "Black and White World" (not the Elvis Costello tune) combines a breezy Hammond B-3 organ penetrated by a hyper ska beat. This disc should please any Burdon or Animals fan, but, more importantly, it may gain him some new listeners as well. ~ Al Campbell

Eric Burdon's life has been a musical journey matched by few other performers in rock music history. He has gone from the driving force of the grittiest British Invasion band, to pioneering the San Francisco psychedelic rock scene, to fronting War, the biggest funk band of the 1970's, to cutting an LP with an early influence, jazz-blues great Jimmy Witherspoon, to coming full-circle and reuniting his original band, The Animals, for a series of projects and a world-wide tour, to forming a new group of "Animals". On "My Secret Life", he reminds his loyal fans that his voice is unmistakably original, and show his diversity on the 12 songs. Sometimes soulful ("Once Upon A Time"), jazzy ("Motorcycle Girl") and all out rocking ("Over The Border"). In "Factory Girl" you can hear the passion that Eric feels for his music, only his voice accompanied by a lone guitar in a sea of emotion. His authentic blues voice is still in top form and so are his energetic live performances.

Recording information: Ultratone Studios, Studio City, CA.

Photographers: Marita; Jörg Kyas.

Personnel: Eric Burdon; Eric Rigler (whistle, Uilleann pipe); Nick Lane (trombone); Jon Cleary, Mike Finnigan (piano); Martin Gerschwitz (electric piano); Danny Timms (Hammond b-3 organ); Terry Wilson (bass guitar); Tony Braunagel (drums, percussion); Lenny Castro, Tony B! (percussion); Kudisan Kai, Gromyko Collins, Billy Trudell, Julie Delgado, Teresa James, Marlena Jeter (background vocals); Johnny Lee Schell (guitar, background vocals); Red Young (strings, piano, electric piano); Joe Sublett (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Darrell Leonard (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ivan Neville (piano, Clavinet, background vocals); Michito Sánchez (percussion); Valerie Davis (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Ed Cherney.

Mojo (Publisher) (p.98) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Burdon growls convincingly through the swampy miasma of 'The Secret,' evokes the folk-blues of his days in The Animals with 'Factory Girls,' and brilliantly re-interprets the Talking Heads' classic 'Heaven'..."