Customer Reviews

20th Century Blues

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

20th Century Blues is a hard rockin' blues CD that was produced in 1994. The power trio on this CD consists of Robin Trower on guitar, Mayuyu on drums and Livingstone Brown on bass and vocals. Those familiar with Trower know that the vocal duties have primarily belonged to James Dewar and in his brief absence, a host of others including Trower, Davey Pattison and, as in this case, Livingstone Brown. The CD itself contains all Trower originals with the sole exception of Lowell Fulson's "Reconsider Baby". The music is vintage Trower with plenty of dark tone and heavy riffs pouring from his Fender Strat. Livingstone's vocals are somewhat reminiscent of ZZ Top or Gov't Mule and seem to fit the bill rather nicely. As an alternative, check out Trowers own noticeably lighter vocals on the CD "Someday Blues". Overall, not Trower's best work, but very good nonetheless.

From all the carping about the vocals on this CD you'd think that the blues should only be sung by the golden-throated. By the same token, I'd be the first to admit that if William Shatner signs up as vocalist for Trower, it's one of the signs that the music world as we know it may soon be due to end.

I liked this CD so much when I first got it that I listened to the whole thing over and over again. After a while a few of the songs emerged as 'graters' - I can't listen to them on high volume or repetitively, or my skin crawls. Yet, there are also songs on this album that have NEVER worn thin. Like so many Trower CDs, there is a range of material here from ok-good to amazingly good.

20th Century Blues lives up to it's name - don't expect it to deviate much from a gritty, amplified Stratocaster blues. In that sense the vocals fit it perfectly. And, with over 20 years of devoted listening to Trower, this is one of my favorite of his works. If you like Trower and you like blues, you've gotta add this to your collection.

I'm a guitar player and I was disappointed with some of Trower's stuff after Victims of the Fury, so I wasn't expecting much when I first heard this. But, I was blown away by the grooves on this CD!! Trower is right in the pocket on every tune. Almost all of the solos are a joy to listen to. I've decided the the solos on Reconsider Baby are Trowers best ever. I've been listening to this CD pretty regularily for a year now and I shake my head in disbelief of what I'm hearing everytime I listen to that tune. Truely amazing!!! It is rare to hear a person work the guitar like that. Another great thing about this CD is its live vibe. All the track were recorded live in the studio with only a few obvious overdubs. The noise and buzzing is all a natural product of the event (amps cranked) and really makes me feel like I'm right there in the studio. You can even hear the dirt in Trowers worn out wah pedal! I love it! There's no makeup covering the imperfections on this one. That's the way it should be, IMHO! You can't go wrong with this CD. The vocals are a bit annoying at first (not too bad), but after you pay attention to the guitar playing you'll forget there's any singing on the cd anyway.

This album was a great surprise when I first heard it. Im an avid Trower fan but had resigned myself to listening to the great earlier releases in his catalog. Essentially everything from Beyond the Mist on had been progressively less interesting. Then Trower recorded this gem and renewed my passion for his music. This is an extremely soulful effort and is essential for any Trower fan as it is a great vehicle for Trower to demonstrate his true genius. This album easily transcends Trower's previous decade of work and takes the listener to places not journeyed to since Victims of the Fury. Furthermore, this material simply smokes when performed live. Its not often that an album captures the joy an artist must feel when performing live but Trower successfully captures this joy on 20th Century Blues. Its clear Trower had fun making this album and he seems rejuvenated by the effort. This should also rekindle the spark that was first ignited in the subconscience of Trower fans by Twice Removed from Yesterday. BUY THIS ALBUM NOW!!!!!!!!

This CD proves that age doesn't weary them. This could have been recorded by a young / hotshot guitar slinger. The participants are young enough to be TROWERS off-spring. The raw energy flows freely from this CD and it sounds like rugged urban blues with an attitude. I would not have picked this as a TROWER CD. His attack on the guitar is a few notches heavier than in the past and provides a welcome edge to this CD. His tone is still as georgous as ever and his ability to play unconventional leads shines throughout. LIVINSTONE BRAMBLE provides some gut wrenching vocals and the backing is superb. I have all TROWER CD's and this one has shot straight to the top of the list.
If you like BLUES / ROCK / GUITAR / TROWER , buy it. This is like a benchmark for this genre.

No one plays guitar like this anymore. Jimi came first, Stevie Ray is gone.
Robin is the last man standing. Heavy Blues like no other in the universe.
I have all his albums. Though not as popular as Bridge of Sighs and From Earth Below, just incredible guitar work. Soulful, bluesy and rocking. Top of the list.

Turns up the energy from his previous efforts. Very bluesy album and sounds completely live. New singer which has no vocal range whatsoever, he rasps throughout the whole album. Trower really wails on this CD and heavy on the wah-wah. A couple straightforward (loud) blues songs. Songwriting is pretty good but it sounds like Trower's just having some fun and letting go. This is a rockin album, he just picks the wrong singers. If Dewar (RIP) could have sang on this it would have been one of Trower's best.

This is a fine offering from Trower. Very similar to his older releases. I really love the beautiful Hendrix feel to "Precious Gift." Trower is really cool, I wish he toured more often.

This CD really Rocks! If you are a fan of early Trower you will like this record. He has returned to his blues based rock sound that made Robin famous. Don't miss the track "Prisoner of Love". Thanks Robin!

This is a great heavy blues album and who can do it better than Trower. His playing is wonderful (although he doesn't vary his tone much). The singer Livingston Brown, however, is the WORST professional singer I've ever heard. His range is restricted to about 3 notes and he doesn't sing, he croaks. This could have been a killer with another singer. Trower's' newer effort "Go My Way" has better vocals, lyrics and much more varied, acidic guitar playing.