All Hits at the House of Blues [Live]

Raphael Saadiq | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 14, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Live
• Label: Pookie Entertainment
• ASIN: B0000CNY6W
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,193 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Raphael Saadiq sums up his 15-year career on this live double CD. An R&B connoisseur whose hitmaking days began long before anyone started tossing around the term "neo-soul," Saadiq brought not only his current band to the Hollywood club’s stage but a number of guests including members of his former group Tony Toni Tone and the musically likeminded D’Angelo. The result is a sometimes languid, sometimes intense walk through material drawn largely from his 2002 solo debut Instant Vintage and the Tony catalog (the latter given satisfying but short playing time). While it's hard not to see All Hits as marking time for Saadiq, the discs do allow plenty of room for him to display his formidable talents as a singer, writer, and bandleader. Where much neo-soul tends to pleasantly blend into the atmosphere, Saadiq has enough melodic command--not to mention his sly sense of humor--to make this more than a showcase of technique. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Evening With Raphael Saadiq and Friends., October 21, 2003

By 

The Groove (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All Hits at the House of Blues (Audio CD)

In 2002, Raphael Saadiq released what seemed to be one of the year's most-antcipated albums: "Instant Vintage." It was adored by critics, but all of nine people bought the album, and Saadiq was soon released from his label at Universal before winning a Grammy nomination. No doubt, the experience must have been frustrating for the former member of Tony! Toni! Tone!, but it apparently didn't hurt his career much, if at all. He may not sell as many records as he used to, but his talent for songwriting and producing remains intact. On his debut for his Pookie label, Saadiq releases a double CD which is a live performance at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. The mood and flavor of the concert is warm and intimate, as Saadiq cruises through many of his hits with the assistance of Joi, Tony! Toni! Tone!, D'Angelo (somebody call a search party for him), and DJ Quik among others. It'd be hard to pick out favorites on Disc 1 since all the performances are very good, but I have to single out "Let's Get Down," "It Never Rains," "Missing You" (performed by Joi), and the excellent "Anniversary." For me, disc 2's twin peaks are the velvet-smooth joint "Uptown" with Leslie Wilson and the kickin' "Be Here" with D'Angelo. These are two discs of groovilicious soul that nod back to the old school, a near-forsaken era when music was conceived with heart and emotion. Those who have followed this talented musician since the late 1980s won't be disappointed with this CD. It's a tight album that will have you hooked from the first note.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More great "Gospeldelic" Sounds, October 14, 2003

By 

Karl Miller "kemspeaks" (Phoenixville, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All Hits at the House of Blues (Audio CD)

Live soul is a forgotten art...but Raphael Sadiiq is on a mission to revive the genre.
For fans of R's group Tony! Toni! Tone!, this represents a great reunion journey, as a good number of songs (but, unfortunately the classic "Feels Good" is missing) that the band made famous are here. The live version of "Anniversary" is as beautiful as the original, and "It Never Rains In Souther California" sound a little funkier than before.
For Lucy Pearl fans, there is the great track "You", but again, the omission of "Dance Tonight" is glaring. With Joi stopping by to sing on a few tracks (and doing a great job on "Missing You"), and DJ Quick also involved, the great vibe that Lucy Pearl put out could have easily been captured.
The newer material, particularly "Instant Vintage" songs "Excuse Me" and "Body Parts" sound excelent in a live setting - Raph's voice is clear and right in tune, and some backup work by D'Angelo really makes this material sound great. Sadiiq really shines when given a chance to stretch out instrumentally, and his instrument playing (and accompanying musicians) is right up there with The Roots.
This likely won't win new fans for this incredibly talented musician - but it a great project for fans of any of Raphael's previous incarnations - and a good holdover while we wait for this guy to put out the masterpiece we all know he has in him.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!, October 7, 2004

By 

TENNESSEE SLIM IS THE BOMB "SLIM" (RICHMOND,VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All Hits at the House of Blues (Audio CD)

THE ALBUM IS HOT FROM START TILL FINISH.IT FEATURES
THE WONDERFUL AND TALENTED JOI.
A REUNION WITH TONY TONI TONE'
AND SEVERAL OTHER GUSET APPEARANCES.
THE SONGS ARE GREAT, I LOVE THE LIVE MATRIAL FROM HIS
FIRST ALBUM, MORE SO THAN THE MATRIAL ON HIS FIRST ALBUM
GO COP HIS NEW ALBUM RAPHAEL SAADIQ AS RAY RAY AND ALL HITS @ THE HOUSE OF BLUES YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THESE SELECTIONS.