Customer Reviews

Been a Long Time

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Ok, I may be a bit biased, I love these guys, but as a musician and purveyor of all things blues, I'm critical of EVERYONE's music. This CD is a welcome change from most new music coming out today. From Susan Tedeschi's soulful performance on "In The Garden" to Doyle Bramhall II and DT performing a trippy version of Muddy Waters' "She's Alright" (with a definite Hendrix vibe!), I'm in love with this recording. Jimmie Vaughan and Lou Ann Barton team-up with Double Trouble on a great rendition of "In The Middle Of The Night" with J. Vaughan's subtle, yet knock-your-socks-off playing peppered throughout the song. Jonny Lang lends his voice to an original, "Groundhog Day," evoking get-down and boogie rock and roll emotions reminiscent of Led Zeppelin or the Black Crowes. Dr. John and Willie Nelson pitch in for the closing track, "Baby, There's No One Like You." These are just SOME of the highlights of this album. Treat yourself to a copy and try not to wear your CD player out with all of the other great songs. No, this isn't a Stevie Ray Vaughan album. This is a Double Trouble album, filled to the brim with quality songs and performances. Tommy and Chris share writing credits on many of the songs and follow it up with superb execution and performance. This CD should silence critics and perhaps be the first in a long line of great recordings to come from this dynamic duo!

For those of you who, like me, scoop up anything and everything that is related to Stevie Ray Vaughan, be warned: The music on this album is NOT reminiscent of SRV's. In fact, there is hardly a trace of the Texas blues that was the core of SRV's vast repertoire. It is, however, a very good album with a variety of blues styles from traditional electric blues (e.g. Muddy Waters) to the more recent style of blues rock.

In its own way, Been A Long Time is a touching tribute to SRV, not because of the songs, but rather because of the cast of musicians who played with or were influenced by SRV. It is, of course, moving to hear Stevie's older brother (and biggest influence), Jimmie, play with Stevie's old back-up band on the fantastic song "In the Middle of the Night." But what makes the song even more special is the fact that Jimmie performed it as a duet with Lou Ann Barton, who was the lead singer in the first band SRV formed, Triple Threat. (When Lou Ann left the band, SRV changed the band's name to Double Trouble and took over the lead singing job himself.) Rounding out the SRV alumni reunion, former Double Trouble keyboardist Reese Wynans also appears on a couple of songs on the album. And for good measure, also featured prominently on the album is singer/guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, the son of Doyle Bramhall, Sr., who literally taught Stevie how to sing.

The album also features a terrific soulful song fronted by the legendary Dr. John, who played often with SRV, most notably at SRV's Carnegie Hall concert. Willie Nelson, who recently released his own blues collaboration album, provides a guitar solo in this piece, entitled "Baby, There's No One Like You."

Rounding out the tribute musician cast are three young SRV proteges who have taken the electric blues world by storm over the past few years -- Kenny Wayne Shepherd (who was inspired to learn to play guitar after meeting SRV backstage at a concert when he was seven years old), Jonny Lang, and Susan Tedeschi. Unfortunately, while Jonny Lang sings lead on one song (and does so brilliantly), he does not play guitar on the album at all!

The most interesting thing about this album is the extent to which the Double Trouble members themselves, Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton, remain in the background. In fact, they are even more in the background on this album than they ever were on any of Stevie Ray Vaughan's albums. Part of the secret to SRV's music was that it was basic and raw. Very frequently, SRV's arrangements featured just SRV, Shannon, and Layton, as did most of their live concerts. Thus, although the focus was always clearly on Stevie, Shannon and Layton's background sounds were important and appreciable. On this album, which purports to FEATURE Shannon and Layton, there is so much else going on that the two Double Trouble players simply melt into the background. To be fair, both musicians do an excellent job of providing the bass and percussion support that is essential to good electric blues music. But the Double Trouble name on this album seems to relate more to the reunion of great musicians linked to SRV than to Shannon and Layton specifically. Nevertheless, those of you who, like me, were disappointed with Shannon and Layton's departure from the blues with their Storyville albums will be heartened by this high-quality blues effort.

The most ironic thing about this album is that although it features numerous musicians who played with or were inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan, the album sounds nothing at all like a Stevie Ray Vaughan album. However, the album is a very good collection of blues and blues-oriented songs that will thoroughly entertain most blues enthusiasts.

I stumbled across this CD at my local library about a year ago. I have 2 SRV&DT CDs, so I thought "What the heck?" I expected raw blues like SRV but I got a pleasant surprise. So after renewing it twice, I thought I better buy it. It is great blues ("In The Middle of the Night" with vocals by Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie's brother), funk ("Ground Hog Day" with vocals by Johnny Lang), Rock and Roll ("Rock and Roll" with killer vocals by Susan Tedeschi--better than the original Led Zeppelin version), another rocker "Say One Thing" with vocals and a great guitar solo by Doyle Bramhall II), ballads ("In The Garden" with Susan T. again on vocals), and my two favorites sung by Malford Mulligan, "Cry Sky" and the incredible "Skyscraper." But the two stars of the show are the ones you never hear vocally--Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon. These are two of the most incredible musicians I have ever heard. There are musicians that have alot of flash, but these guys are just plain tight. The bass never sounds muddy and the drums are always just right--never too skimpy, never too much. I hope these guys continue making records--whether it is with guest stars like this CD, or if they go ahead and get a permanent singer, guitarist, and keyboard player. Stevie is gone and is sorely missed, but long live Double Trouble!

This is an incredibly well done album. With all due respect to the other Amazon customers that have criticized this album, you all are missing the point. This recording represents a new chapter in their musical journey, and should not be compared to the great work done with SRV. SRV was a once in a lifetime phenomenon. Double Trouble has shown that they are not resting on their past successes, but moving forward musically. You may not realize it, but Double Trouble did all the writing, recording, and producing of this CD without a record contract. These guys believed in what they were doing, and put up their own money to finance this record. There are not many other artists out there of the caliber of Double Trouble making such a bold move. Sky Cry and In The Garden are two of the most heartfelt songs that I have heard in a long time. The vocal performances of Malford Milligan, Charlie Sexton, Doyle Bramhall, Johnny Lang, and Susan Tedeschi are world class. The great musicianship of every artist is enhanced due to the role that Double Trouble plays so well, that of one of the greatest rhythm sections of all time. So, let's get past comparing this record to their illustrious past, but instead, view it as a great achievement for them as well as the beginning of the rest of their musical career. God Bless Double Trouble and all of their great musical partners and friends! Buy this CD - it is fantastic!!

Yes, Double Trouble is back. However, unlike their previous stints with Storyville and the Arc Angels this CD is pretty mellow and laid back. Not to say that this is bad but considering the talent on this CD, as well as the past appearances of Double Trouble with SRV, the Arc Angels and Storyville, I was expecting more Blues/Rock rather than top forty style ballads. Three songs do stand out on this dics, they are "Turn Towards the Mirror"--Bramhall, "In the Middle of the Night"--Jimmie Vaughan, and "Groundhog Day"--Jonny Lang. Both Vaughan and Lang will have new releases of their own this spring.

I have been reading some reviews in here of people putting down this Cd and all i can say is, did you people even bother to listen to the disc?!? I got this Cd a month ago and i love it! I have been a huge fan of SRV since 1983 (seen him on four separate tours over his lifetime) and NO one will ever replace him so those of you expecting a SRV and DT CD are going to be let down i guess. Stevie is sadly gone, this is DT doing their own thing and they did it well. Susan Tedeschi turns in a very soulful performance on "In the Garden" and She's alright" is another outstanding track. DT is a very talented band who are trying to do their own thing and branch out. For those of you who want to buy a great CD with some talented people, get this one!! Not one weak track on here at all and this Cd is better than a lot of the stuff that is out there nowadays. Everybody on the CD turns in a performance that is right on the mark for the most part and it'll always have a place in my Cd player. Thank You Double Trouble!!

Being a big fan of SRV, Doyle Bramhall II, and the Arc Angels were more than enough reasons to pick up this CD, and once I tapped into all of it, I found many more. The CD is worth the price alone for the songs Doyle appears on, including the Arc Angel reunion track "Turn Towards the Mirror." "Say One Thing" was an Arc Angels concert staple back in the early '90s, and it's good to hear that one released officially. "She's Alright" is another one Doyle, Chris, and Tommy played live before, in the Mighty Zor shows of 1999, and it provides another standout performance on this CD.

But there's much more to this CD than Doyle's contributions. The depth of this disc is outstanding, and the reunion/comeback concept is put together much better here than in others of the same variety. Jonny Lang puts in a surprisingly good vocal performance (with Eric Johnson and Danny Freeman on guitar) on the bluesy "Groundhog Day." The "Rock and Roll" cover is pulled off extremely well by Susan Tedeschi (although I have to admit I'm not the biggest Ken Shepherd fan), and their live performances of this song were even greater - Susan makes a fine substitute for the sometimes annoyingly whiney voice of Robert Plant, and the Tina who toured with DT this summer made a nice substitute for Susan as well. Brother Jimmie Vaughan's playing is as good as ever, and he really lends a lot of maturity and grace to this CD.

Dr. John's closer is a fitting one, and he begins it by saying "I just gotta go with how I feel right now." That seems to be the overall vibe from the entire cast on this disc, and it works beautifully. Listeners may also be surprised to hear some familiar guitarwork in the final, unlisted track...

One of the most awesome things about living in Austin, is getting the exposure to all of these musicians. They are some of the most gracious people you will ever meet. This compilation of great guitarists is one that Stevie Ray would be very proud of and one that any SRV fan should own. Thanks to all who contributed...peace...

This album is AWESOME! I have had it for about 2 weeks now and love every track on it. Lots of guest appearances by some of the BEST in Rock and Blues. The diversity of this album is the key here. One of the best albums in recent memory. The standouts are Rock and Roll, Turn Towards The Mirror, and Ground Hog Day. If you are a fan of the of Rock'n Blues than this ablum is definetely for you!

Living in Austin, I've been a fan of blues ever since I was a kid (It's kinda hard not to be), and I'm as big an SRV fan as anyone else. But I'm happy to see this new album from Double Trouble. Another reviewer here has referred to DT as SRV's "Backup Band", an insulting statement- the truth is, DT has some of the finest musicians out there, and it was always a shame how their name was scrunched real small underneath Stevie's. I'm sure he'd be happy to see this album, where they break out, pairing up with Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Malfourd Milligan, and several other noteworthys. You might have seen a few of these songs on Austin City Limits, and it's real gratyifing to hear new tunes from the finest in blues. It's almost touching at times to hear every Texan blues noteworthy from the last decade altogether, expressing the extensions of the soul in a way only blues can. Soulful, beatiful, and passionate throughout, this is a must-own album for ANY blues fan. The only problem? It's too short.