Review:

on 2011-02-25 CharlesMartel Said:

Now I have a real problem with this. I have owned this now for a few months and played it through dozens of times, often all the way through, sometimes song by song. The problem is that it just leaves me feeling like I want from it something that it is incapable of offering. Perhaps the reason for that goes back to the circumstances under which it was released.



In August 1990, after concert in Wisconsin, Stevie Ray Vaughan became the latest in a long line of rock and roll stars who lost their lives to aircraft crashes. He left behind a legacy of some soulful blues music in the vein of Jimi Hendrix and a mass of unreleased material. Almost inevitably, the commercial fame which had perhaps eluded him while he was alive was thrust upon him in death. As is so often the case, his record company and his estate began to cash in and "The Sky is Crying" became the first of several albums to be released posthumously to take advantage of his untimely end.



Now, although this album consists almost entirely of material which was not released during his life, it is far from one of those awful recordings of utter crap which so often mars the death of such a prolific musician. Although these out-takes, b-sides and the like are not really intended to be the pinnacle of his musical career, the album does contain some fine pieces of music. As such, it is worth having and not just for the completists among you.



Stevie Ray Vaughan was undoubtedly a great guitarist. He was expressive and powerful at the same time. "Boot Hill" has the best vocalising while "The Sky Is Crying" has probably the best guitar work. "Little Wing" is an emotive number, though that maybe equally due to the fact that the Hendrix version was a real heart-string tugger. I prefer "May I Have a Talk with You" as it is closer to the art of the blues that I know and love. "Wham" doesn't really get to me, perhaps because it is too up-tempo and therefore seems a bit a bit out of place.



The only track I really dislike is "Chitlins Con Carne" but that is a personal flaw in me. It reminds me of a story told to me by a good friend from Arkansas who said the local diner used to offer chitlins on the menu and when out-of-towners came in and ask for it they would be asked if they wanted it 'slung or unslung'. Thinking they were macho they almost always asked for it 'unslung'. Yeughh!



So what's the problem? Well, having stated there is one, I can't hold off any longer. This may be controversial but isn't this just white man's blues? I mean, you can look at the Mighty Houserockers and say the same thing, but when the white man took on the blues he changed it into rock. Stevie Ray Vaughan plays the blues, but he doesn't come with the baggage (or soul) which inspired the original blues artists from the Delta. In that sense it just doesn't grab me. I can appreciate the quality, but I just find it lacks a bit of depth; the depth which comes through direct experience.



Hmm. "Does a musician have to draw on his or her personal experiences to make the best music"? Discuss.
Rating: 5/10