Bad Habits

Colin James | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 27, 2009)
• Original Release Date: September 19, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra/Asylum
• ASIN: B000002HJX
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,662 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knockout, November 26, 2002

By 

Bob Davis (Christchurch New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bad Habits (Audio CD)

This is a killer album. Thanks once more to Kazaa for the ability to discover other worthwhile artists. The album is full of great songs, tasty guitar and vocals that make you want to join in (even me the non-singer!). About half of the albums features songs from blues masters such as Elmore James (I Can't Hold You), Howlin' Wolf (Forty-Four), Robert Johnson (Walkin' Blues) and Barbecue Bob (Atlanta Moan), while the other half were co-written by James himself. James manages to package those songs into a variety of styles: pure blues (Bad Habits, Forty-Four), ballad like (Atlanta moan), uptempo rock (Real Stuff), blues/rock (Walking blues), to whatever you want to call it (Saviour / Freedom). As a bonus, vocal from Mavis Staples adds much to the 'Freedom' track and Kim Wilson plays great harmonica on 3 others. The thing I love most about the guitar playing is his ability to get so much feeling without playing many notes. His slide work is also top class. Almost every track is a highlight.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Effort, May 30, 2001

By 

Russell Diederich (Littleton, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bad Habits (Audio CD)

Bad Habits shows that Colin James has come a long way since his self-titled album seven years earlier (1988). The playing on this album has a definite edge to it. This album is full of some of his own tunes mixed with a strong respect for the blues and its masters.

The music on this album is very powerful. Throughout this album, he is able to mix in horns with his funky blues sound. "Saviour" heavy rhythm introduces us to this album with a large support from the horn section as well as some great slide-playing. The groove is pretty catchy, and you'll have a tough time getting it out of your head. My favorite track from the album is James' own "Freedom". Again, the horns add depth, and his solos are soulful without being overwhelming. Less than half of the songs on this album are James' own, but he steps up to the challenge and plays exceptionally on Howlin' Wolf's "Forty-Four" and Elmore James' "I Can't Hold Out". He even does a heavy slide version of Robert Johnson's "Walkin' Blues", different but tasteful.

James is an exceptional guitar player. Listening to this album one can see why he opened for SRV. In fact, sometimes I can close my eyes and almost see SRV playing, like on the album's title cut. If you're looking for a good guitar blues album be sure to stop here and check out "Bad Habits". I do, again and again.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Canada's best kept secrets..., November 3, 2006

By 

Mark Gatzke (Plant City, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bad Habits (Audio CD)

It's tempting (very much so) to compare Colin James with Stevie Ray Vaughan, but that doesn't really do him justice. Where SRV relied on himself and his guitar to drive almost every song, Colin's approach gives everyone involved their own space, making the album sound more like a band than a solo artist. This is a good thing. His discipline opens up everything for a collaboration that allows the music to rise above first glance expectations. The first time I listened to it, I gave it a nod as a decent piece of work. It was the third time around that I began to notice the little things that make the difference between a garden variety blues album suited to background music while balancing my checkbook and a carefully crafted effort that reveals a tacit love for the music they play, demanding the listener's attention and appreciation. The songs themselves fall into a fairly narrow range of blues and blues rock, but the variety he offers within that scope sets this album pretty close to the top of the genre.