I think the reviewer was just having a bad day. This album is great fun (though I must admit: I really don't need this -- or ANY -- version of "Don't Pass Me By") and a whole new way of thinking about these classic songs.
I am quite conflicted about how many stars to give this album, because I suspect in the long run, what sells niche products like this is the average star count, and the average at the moment seems to be below four. Giving it only three stars in this review will probably lower it further. I can only suggest that three out of five is still above average (2 1/2).
My first question going in was "How bluesy was it? My answer is the same as the other reviewer which gave it three stars. Not very. I agree with him in every regard on the details, especially in his liking the cover of George Harrison's "And My Guitar Gently Weeps." Most don't sound like "Blues". It sounds like covers of Beatles songs done by good Blues performer. That brings me to the second question. Given the absence of "Blues", is there any value to buying this as opposed to buying a new, up to date release of the Beatles album itself, enhanced, with twice as many songs, for about 19 dollars. My vote is that while these songs are done with interest and competence, there is not sufficient interest for the average listener. What it does do is encourage me to go back and listen to the original.
The conceit of this collection is that a bunch of blues musicians have been gathered together to pay a kind of tribute to the Beatles, some of whose music has roots in the blues, by playing some cuts from The Beatles (which just about everybody refers to as "The White Album"). Hmm.
The album gets off to a bad start with a ponderous, leaden, dragging version of "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?," performed here by a group called "Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers." The very thing they seem to lack is drive; the drummer in particular seems to be holding the whole performance back.
The rest of the cuts feature various Telarc blues artists fronting a core group consisting of G.E. Smith on guitar, T-Bone Wolk on bass, Peter Re on bass, and Steve Holley on drums. Lucky Peterson does an OK job on "Yer Blues," making it sound more like a straight blues song and less like the over-the-top but undeniably entertaining rant that John Lennon gave us in the original.
Anders Osborne then takes us through "Happiness Is a Warm Gun," and I mean he just kind of takes us through it. It gets better as it goes along, as he tries to sound more like Lennon. But what's the point?
We next get a version of "Revolution" led by Kenny Neal, Lucky Peterson, and Tab Benoit. This is one of the better cuts on the album, with the organ adding a nice texture to the sound. These guys seem to be having fun with the tune, not trying to hit us over the head with it. Thanks, guys, especially Tab Benoit.
Maria Muldaur takes a really fun, lighthearted song, "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da," and makes it sound, well, old and tired. Sad...
Next up is Joe Louis Walker, who imbues "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with a Memphis kind of sound. This is the longest cut on the album, at more than eight minutes; fortunately, it is also the best cut.
A real change of pace is T-Bone Wolk's rendition of "Don't Pass Me By." The arrangement sounds like a combination of country, blues, and reggae, with some organ thrown in for good effect. It's good clean fun.
Chris Duarte then takes a stab at "I'm So Tired." The end result sounds something like a David Bowie imitator jamming with a house band, which is not something many people would pay good money to hear. But it still beats the heck out of Jimmy Thackery and The Drivers.
Colin Linden does a nice job with "Blackbird," playing it straight vocally with some nice acoustic guitar work.
The CD closes with a pleasant but forgettable instrumental rendition of "Dear Prudence" featuring harmonica man Charlie Musselwhite and Colin Linden on guitar.
So there you have it--some good cuts, some OK cuts, some so-so cuts, and one or two real stinkers. For the Beatles completist, The Blues White Album may be worth a listen, but for most listeners, I doubt it would prove to be a keeper. (And oh, how I'd like to hear again the greatest Beatles cover performance of all time--Wilson Pickett's absolutely incendiary version of "Hey Jude," on which none other than Duane Allman provided instrumental support. Whew!)
