Customer Reviews

Bad Habits

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

First off, I'm a strat playin blues dude, took a chance on this cd and WHEWEEEE this guy sounds like he's been hanging around with Dr. John for the last 20 yrs. Excellent production, vocals, kim wilson on harmonica. There is'nt a dog on this cd, 100% listenable. He's not Walter Trout or Alvin Lee, maybe Sonny Landreth kicked up a notch. Backup vocals & the B-3 round the cuts out to the max. I guess in Canada they don't believe in filler cuts. Ax players take notice, TONE TO THR BONE!!

Listening to this album is such musical pleasure. It has all the great stuff you could expect from a modern bluesman. Colin James is a world class guitar player, a grat singer with a great voice. His vocal performance on this album just blows me away. It is just awesome. The songs are very different which give a more interesting listening. If you like good music this one is a "must have".
-k-

Once again I was too quick and reviewed this CD after only a couple of listens and got it wrong. After another week it has grown on me. The singing is like a slightly rougher ROBBEN FORD and suits most of these songs very well. The songs are excellent and the guitar work very tasteful. His phrasing and guitar styling at times sound familiar but he adds enough of his own to create his own style. His guitar tone is gorgeous, complimented by first class backing and superb production. Colin James promises great things for the future and I will have to buy the rest of his releases.

After listening to the cd a few times, I must say I'm impressed. It's obvious the guy has chops, but he doesn't force them on you with a barrage of overwhelming guitar noise. Instead, he seems to prefer a more restrained, laid back approach, using his guitar for punctuation & emphasis, a technique made famous by B.B. King & Albert King, & to a lesser extent even SRV. This makes his guitar solos stand out all the more, & when he does cut loose his style, phrasing, & tone are unquestionably the work of a master. Especially rewarding are the last two songs, "Atlanta Moan" & "Speechless," two hauntingly beautiful ballads in stark contrast to the fast pace & upbeat tempo of the previous nine. I give him four-and-a-half stars & expect that he will continue to get better with age.

Colin James never goes wrong in my book. This artist is one of the most talented musicians today. This CD exemplifies his versatility vocally and musically. My favorites on the CD are Freedom, Saviour, Walking Blues, Real Stuff and Standin' on The Edge. The whole CD is GREAT! If you enjoy the blues and a talented musician then Colin James is your man. Don't miss seeing him live either...one of the BEST! I highly recommend this CD and any CD from Colin James. :-)

aside from this disc I don't know much about Mr. James but I will echo what other reviewers have said. This is a real slick and smooth CD with some sweet grooves. Colin has a real nice voice as well. The songs are well written and performed with FREEDOM being a standout. [...]

I love blues-rock and Colin James-along with Jonny Lang-is tehe master!!! This CD is wonderful and has all of the essential elements of good blues-rock. Must buy!!