Customer Reviews

Birthright

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

 

 

I've had the opportunity to see James Blood Ulmer a few times over the last few years. I've become a big fan of his distinct originality on the guitar. He plays with freewheeling abandon and gutteral instinct. Of course, in becoming aware of his music, I picked up copies of the two blues records, Memphis Blood and No Escape From the Blues, as well as some of the older stuff like Odyssey and Freelancing (on vinyl). I love all of those albums. The two blues discs are some of my favorites of current recordings in the genre.

But little prepared me for Birthright, which might just be James Blood Ulmer's masterpiece. It's just James Blood Ulmer here completely solo. The record almost feels ancient. Like a Son House or Robert Johnson recording but in the modern day. Parts of it are haunted as Ulmer digs and slashs on the guitar, his voice trembling with a natural vibrato. Truly Spectacular. Other songs like Geechee Joe and a reworking of his song, Where Did All The Girls Come From, are quite beautiful and imbued with grace. At times the music almost seems like folk art. Ulmer doesn't sound schooled in the blues -- there's not a traditional blues lick to be found. The music sounds like an exorcism -- a natural release of song and sound. Birthright is actually a perfect title because it's exactly what an album like this is. What Ulmer's doing can't be faked. It's his and he owns it.

I highly recommend this to people in search of the real thing -- of real music, of real expression, of real soul. James Blood Ulmer - Birthright is a modern gem and one of the most compelling CDs I've heard all year.

When I first heard this album, I thought it was mostly Ulmer covering old and somewhat obscure acoustic blues songs. But in fact, he wrote all but two of the songs. Somehow he was able to capture the spirit of the real old-time blues within his own personal guitar style, which is derived from the very modern harmolodic approach. It is a solo ablum, with him singing on every cut and playing a spacey flute at the very end. Nonetheless, the sound is very rich, and he manages to fill in all the spaces of the music so that you don't feel that anything is missing.

I have liked most of what Blood Ulmer has put out, but this strikes me as being one of his most beautiful albums. It is heartfelt, musically intriguing, and rich in the tradition of the blues. The original blues players wrote songs about their everyday lives and events, mentioning people and places that they knew. Ulmer recaptures this tradition on Geeche Joe, a song about his grandfather, which is extremely touching in his love for the old man and his struggles with life and racial prejudice. And his rearrangment of Sitting on Top of the World is amazing and beautiful.

I heard his previous blues CD, Memphis Blood, and I found it entertaining but not particularly interesting or deep. This CD is all those things, and I expect to return to it often.

This James Blood Ulmer CD is his Best since FREELANCING and TALES OF CAPTAIN BLACK;but actually more innovative because He takes old Country blues and fuses it with his Ornette Coleman harmodelics and he comes up with the most innovative approach to Country Blues since John Lee Hooker;Blood Ulmer has finally found his Calling!!

Not a party record, and not something for driving, this is an intensely personal album, made to be listened to. And if you're unfamiliar with Ulmer, be aware, this is a guy who cut his teeth with Ornette Coleman, so you shouldn't expect just another blues album. But with patience and attention, this is one of the most surprising and rewarding things I've listened to in a long time.

James "Blood" Ulmer is a great guitar player, but only a decent Blues artist. He is mainly known for jazz guitar and experimental music. "Geechee Joe" and "Where Did All The Girls Come From" are very enjoyable, and Ulmer certainly has his own style of singing. The only artist whose vocals are anything like those of Ulmer is John Lee Hooker. "Sittin' On Top Of The World" is very well done. This is modern Blues, to be sure, and doesn't resemble Patton or Robert Johnson in the slightest way. Still, if you are looking for something unique, and are a musician yourself, you might appreciate this record more than I do. Ulmer performs "Sittin' On Top Of The World" on the "Lightnin' In A Bottle" dvd and does an excellent job, by the way.

I really can't understand the rave reviews given this recording. This type of material has been covered much more effectively by others (especially John Lee Hooker} The guitar playing is uninspired and the lyrics are nothing special. IF this were recorded by an unknown , it would be totally ignored.In fact this sounds at times like an out-take release. His earlier recordings are far superior.

Save your money. I love blues, but this black songs against whites. White people get the blues and have hard lifes too. They don't blame everything on the blacks. I wish we would have picked our own cotton and forgot about it. I like listening to old blues players, but this isn't much good. Save your money and buy some Buddy Guy.