You could say that Chris Beard likes to play guitar -- the nine minutes of fretboard pyrotechnics that make up the opening "Born to Play the Blues" make that all too apparent. This is a full-on electric blues (mostly) live disc, full of scintillating lead guitar (check out the inspired "Tribute to Luther Allison"), backed by a top-notch band, whose players also get a good workout, like keyboardist Alan Murphy on "It's About Time." But the inevitable focus is on Beard's massive skills. He's a good singer, if not outstanding, but he's a dynamic, inventive guitarist who seems to be at his happiest when dazzling an audience. Those cuts have an immediacy and energy that's missing on the three final studio tracks -- even the aching "Lock My Dreams," where he makes his guitar cry, lacks that energy. Having already established his reputation with his previous work, Beard cements his stature with this record, and sets himself up to take a place among the contemporary blues guitar greats. ~ Chris Nickson
Liner Note Author: Art Tipaldi.
Recording information: Blues At The Mall, Grand Rapids, MI; Kingston Mines, Chicago, IL; Memories And Music, Village Gate, Rochester, NY.
Photographer: Jennifer Taylor.
Personnel: Chris Beard (vocals, guitar); Chris Beard; Steve Grills, Brother Wilson (guitar); Quinn Lawrence (horns); George Snell (keyboards); Darren Robinson, Tony Jackson, Marvin Parker (bass guitar); Buddy Honeycutt (drums); Alan Murphy (keyboards).
Audio Mixers: Chris Beard; David Lawrence.
Chris Beard - Live Wire Songs
| 1 | Born to Play the Blues See All 2 | | | |
| 2 | Ten Toes Up See All 2 | | | |
| 3 | It's About Time See All 2 | | | |
| 4 | Tribute to Luther Allison, Pt. 1 | | | |
| 5 | Tribute to Luther Allison, Pt. 2 | | | |
| 6 | Caught Up See All 2 | | | |
| 7 | It's Over, Pt. 1 | | | |
| 8 | It's Over, Pt. 2 | | | |
| 9 | It's Over, Pt. 3 | | | |
| 10 | Street of Broken Dreams | | | |
| 11 | Never Felt No Blues | | | |
| 12 | Change Must Come | | | |
| 13 | Can't Walk Away | | | |
| 14 | Lock My Dreams | | | |
| 15 | Who You Can Trust | | | |
Live Wire Review
GuidelinesRemember to focus your comments on Chris Beard - Live Wire CD. Check our review guidelines for specific details regarding customer review policy. To submit your review, please fill out the above form and click "Submit Review." A staff member will then verify your review meets our guidelines. Upon approval, your review will be published within a few days. Please do not use this form to comment on web site errors or for order related questions. If you have concerns of this nature, please contact customer service by filling out this form.
Purchase Live Wire CD
To buy, Click on price to add to cart
|
Share this Product