Customer Reviews

Beautiful

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Bonnie Bramlett has been putting out some great discs recently like I'm Still the Same & Roots, Blues & Jazz. On "Beautiful," she continues following her muse, picking out exquisite songs, and rendering them with equal mixtures of soul, swagger and rock & roll. The opener "Sure Got Away With My Heart" is a bouncy soul classic that sets your toe tapping and puts a smile on your face, "He got my head in a spin, got me wondering where I been." Randall Bramblett who was in Sea Level has put out a string of excellent CDs like No More Mr. Lucky & Rich Someday. He contributes two tracks to Bonnie's CD, the slow sexy horn-drenched "Witness for Love" & the power boogie "Shake Something Loose," "Come on baby, now turn up the juice; We gonna rock it up 'til we shake something loose." "Strongest Weakess" written by Bekka Bramblett & Gary Nicholson & also recorded by Tracy Nelson & Etta James, unleashes a powerful classic rock attack, "You been a run around for a long time now; I know all the games you play." The title track comes from Steve Conn's self-titled CD where Bonnie fully embodies this aching lovely ballad, "I need a drink; I need a dream; I need some hope & I need some love, and I need someone to tell me that I'm beautiful." On Stephen Stills' classic Buffalo Springfield track "For What It's Worth," I love the classic stops and starts in the song. These have been evened out a bit in Bonnie's arrangement, but its lovely melody & lyric still shine. "Bless 'Em All" penned by Gary Nicholson brings some humor as it smiles at all the religious denominations. Paul Hornsby's "It's Gonna Rain All Night" strikes a slow jazz torch groove, "You brought a change in the weather when you left me with all this pain; Now ain't no blue skies been seen since then." The CD concludes with Dan Penn's "He'll Take Care of You" which rides on a nice hook & glides on a catchy chorus, "You don't have to beg, you don't have to plead, Just tell Him you love Him, that's all He needs." "Beautiful" is an excellent set of classic grooves with Bonnie's lovely smoky voice fully inhabiting each track. Bravo!

Sometimes--just sometimes, the musical world and the real world step in line, and recordings such as this materialize from a place of deep honesty. Here, Bramlett snuggles deep down into a familiar blanket of earthy melodies that bring out the best in her bare-bones, smoky vocal style. This album is brimming with fresh new material, classic feels, and songs that unfold like the roadmap of her life, and the best songs here hit with unexpected force. Buy two of these CD's, one for yourself and one for your best friend!

Very good songs and great arrangments.

Big fan of Bonnie and these wonderful players, esp. Bill Stewart on drums and Kelvin Holly on guitar...

Bonnie's vocals are great...

We need more records like this.

After practice one day someone left this in my truck. Now let me say that Delaney and Bonnie were the first "Southern Rock" band I ever heard. And that was before anyone even used the term "Southern Rock". In fact they were called "Blue Eyed Soul" and Bonnie doesn't have blue eyes!

When the first sounds came out I thought "This sounds like the old Saturday Night Live Band!" Then "Bang" this voice starts to sing "Sure Got Away With My Heart" and I thought, Wow! how did they get that old Muscle Sholes sound? I haven't heard it in years. Sure the voice is not quite the same, in fact like fine wine it had the flavor you only get with time. If you are under fifty years old you need to buy this CD. It captures the roots that made the music move from St. Louis and Chicago to Detroit. It wakes up the spirit of the tight jam bands that make new bands afraid to play a solo or sing a melody. The choice of songs couldn't be better. If your not touched by the title track you just haven't got a heart. Bonnie's version of the old Still's classic "For What It's Worth" makes you feel like you stepped into the days of great backup singers and music with feel. The people that avoid to face their own mortality may find the more spiritual songs uncomfortable. But if you lived through more than your own selfish life, you will find a light that shines in the darkness. Only someone that has looked life in the eye and found their soul could pull this off. Stop letting the radio make up your mind about what music is and discover great moving vocals and music that wants to pay homage to that greatness.

Blessings, Peace, Hope and Love

Dangerous Dan

With over-the-top, American Idol histrionics not only passing for soul but becoming mainstream in all genres, it's nice to be reminded what the real deal is. Although she came to prominence belting mini tent revivals like "Only You Know and I Know" in the late `60s, as the fairer half of Delaney &Bonnie (the opening act that Eric Clapton defected from Blind Faith to join), Ms. Bramlett knows when and how to cool things down. Like any great soul singer, from Sam Cooke to Aretha, she knows when to go for the gusto and also when to rein things in.

As on 2006's Roots, Blues & Jazz (where she deftly interpreted a broad definition of standards, from "I'm Confessin'" to "No Particular Place to Go"), she demonstrates the lost art of dynamics on Beautiful. The album reunites her with Johnny Sandlin, who produced two of her mid-`70s Capricorn LPs, as well as several players from her past, including Muscle Shoals session greats David Hood (bass) and Spooner Oldham and Clayton Ivey (keyboards). Also on hand are Kelvin Holly and Scott Boyer (whose collective credits include Little Richard, the Amazing Rhythm Aces, Cowboy, the Allman Brothers, Johnny Rivers, and Bettye LaVette) on acoustic and electric guitars, and James Pennebaker on steel. And besides contributing sax and keyboards, Randall Bramblett (whose multi-instrumental talents were tapped for Traffic's 1994 reunion) wrote two songs, including the beautiful "Witness For Love," on which he duets with Bonnie.

As on Roots, Bramlett covers material by others, from Waylon Jennings' "I Do Believe" to Dan Penn's "He'll Take Care of You." "Strongest Weakness," a gritty rocker penned by Gary Nicholson and Bonnie's daughter, Bekka, showcases mother and daughter's ballsy vocals, while Steve Conn's poignant title tune is appropriately restrained and intimate.

Bramlett's funky, simmering reading of Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth" is the most obvious "still relevant" protest song, but the sentiment contained in Gary Cotten's melodic "Some Of My Best Friends" is a stronger statement--addressing hypocrisy and everyday prejudices with lines like "Some of my best friends are black/At least that's what I say/When I talk behind their back."

Forty years ago, there were few females singers who possessed an instrument as powerful and supple as Bonnie Bramlett's; today, there are fewer still.

Bonnie seems to get better with time. I've loved her singing since I first heard her with Delaney all those years ago. I just love this CD. So versatile. She knows how to sing fun songs like Bless 'Em All to the others that are just good songs. She still has it and her voice is so fine. Enjoy!