Customer Reviews

Blue Me

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this one from Amazon the moment it was issued. No regret! I should admit I am a Leslie West fan. This helps to appreciate this CD the moment you push the play button. For all casual listeners - don't hasitate to check this set of covers. All songs have Leslies' signature on them plus some excellent backing from the other musicians, including some beautiful piano playing.

Blues rock guitar at it's best, inovative and modern. Good work Leslie!

Thanks again Leslie.

I liked Leslie West's music for years, but starting with PHAT it turned to love. PHAT was great, but Blues to Die For, Got Blooze, and now Blue Me are fantastic. It is just my kind of blues; slow and deep.

Blue Me follows Leslie's last few entries; all covers. This is fine with me. No need to re-invent the wheel. Just do the greats as only the greatest can do them. Keep'em coming Leslie, keep'em coming.

The samples do not do this CD justice.

This is Leslie's third Blues CD in a row starting with Blues to Die For, Blooze, and now Blue Me. For my money the second one Blooze was the best of the bunch, however there is alot here worth giving a listen to. Leslie explores the work of Joplin, Ten Years After, and Humble Pie to name a few. All of this with his signature sound (which I love to hear)The piano work on a number of the tunes works well complementing Leslie's guitar. If you like rock and roll blues with that down and dirty Leslie West feel then you need to add this to your collection.

Yes, this the Leslie West of Mountain (Mississippi Queen et al)and West, Bruce and Laing. He never stopped playing but blues tends to be cyclical in its audience appeal and the latest resurgence is well established right now (2010). "Blue Me" is a collection of the classics we older musicians grew up listening and playing to. The opening track, "Blues Before Sunrise" is masterfully done and as good as when Clapton did it on his album "From the Cradle", his best album in my opinion. #2, a Graham Barnes tune called "I woke up this morning", is an up-dressed version of this long-loved classic which was covered by 10 Years After. Of course Mr. West administers his own signature treatment of the song, like tasteful bends and vibrato at the low end of the neck and works upward. Most players Dive immediately into the "box" as high up the neck (where the pickups dwell) as possible and do incredibly long and often repetitive solos there and there's little difference among players. Not so with Les. He commands the entire neck like very few others. Les also treats the listener to Muddy Waters' "Standing 'round Crying", Sonny Thompsons' "Tore Down", and Lowell Fulson's great "Sinner's Prayer, all three of which were also covered on Eric's "From the Cradle" but the guitar work is truly unforgettable. Throw in John Fogerty's "Green River" and Gershwin's "all-time classic" "Summertime" and you've got your hands on the best blues record to come down that long dirt road in a long, long time. By the way, the great Ainsley Dunbar counts him in on the drums while a relative newcomer with tons of guitar talent, Todd Wolfe, backs Les up. Tim Fahey, Kevin Curry, Art Groom and Brian Mitchell are contributors to the magic in a big way. So, if you like blues and blues guitar, I recommend America's best '60's and '70's Guitarist/Singer, Leslie West. One listen and you won't be blue any more! Promise. Dan "Maggie" McGuiness, Bluze News Mag.

Once in a blue moon an album comes around that's what I call a "total play". Ever cut is a gem. This is one of those albums. Oh yes Leslie has been leading up to this with his last 4 or 5 releases,in which he's gone back to his roots, the blues. This is how I dreamt it would be for Leslie, as he & I grew older. I remember Leslie so well as he was part of my very first concert ever when his first group the Vagrants opened for the Yardbirds 1967 at the Commack arena. Through the years I always thought of Leslie as the tastiest guitarist on the planet.For me one of his best cuts was his live verison of Dreams of Milk & Honey on the Flowers of Evil album. Matter of fact that whole live side is just the best, that is until,Blue Me. The production, his guitar work,& most of all the unmistaken voice of Leslie himself, he just in fine form.I would pay a king's ransom to see him do BLUE ME Live, with the musicians on this album. He's never sounded better. This should go down as a classic, and it's a must have for any Mountain or Leslie West fan. Leslie should have a spot in the Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame. He's a legend.

Nobody plays the guitar like Leslie West. Blues to Die For, great. Got Blooze, great. Blue Me, over the top. There is not a bad song on this album. Finally Leslie's great talent is show cased to the T.

Leslie West is a fine guitar player but this "blues" record is over the top in terms of guitar tone - consistently saturated (think Neil Young and Crazy Horse at their craziest or Tommy Iommi). It sounds like he took a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier amp and turned everything to 11. I don't know about you, but I like a little nuance with my blues and that word is not in Leslie's vocabulary. When I listened to this, I thought how great it would be if he would make another Mountain record. Unfortunately, "Never in My Life" does not translate into the blues. Skip this release and get "Leslie West Live!", his 1993 record.

West has a gritty, rocky,blues edge...from a former rocker,now blues enthusiast -he hit all the right notes...

If you really like Leslie West you like every note he plays. Not because he's good but because of how his sound makes you feel. These are some pretty nice covers. Green River in particular. If you do like Leslie this is another one you should have...but then again if you really like Leslie you have probably already decided to get it. You won't be disappointed.

I purchased this one because I've been a big Leslie fan for years and the reviews were unanimous five stars. I hate to be the sole dissenter, but I found this CD pretty mediocre and uninspired. It sounds workman-like to me. That Leslie tone is there and there are hints of Duane Allman on the first cut, ZZ Top blues and Govt Mule at times on other cuts. Leslie's voice throughout is that sort of monotone huskiness with no variation. The guitar work is of course competent and has its moments, but there's nothing jaw-dropping here at all and little reason to go back to this CD for repeated listening. It's pretty generic blues and as there are so many technically proficient blues guitarists out there that can do this, I can only give it 3 stars.