Customer Reviews

Everybody Needs It

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3 star:		(1)
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Ellen McIlwaine's career is a mystery to me. She has produced a collection of extraordinary albums (now CD's) that run the gamut from folk to blues to world music (having been raised in various parts of the world). Why isn't she better known? This CD brings together the work of two albums, one early and folk, with a tinge of the blues, and the other a later louder explosion of womanhood. She just can't help herself. Her own compositions ("Come Sit Down and Tell Me" or "Say A Single Word") reflect a woman who refuses to be categorized as a folk singer or a blues singer. One genre encroaches on the other and the mix is eerie and beautiful, with a voice that is no imitation of any other singer you have ever heard. The second half of the CD is an explosive Ellen letting loose with a Stevie Wonder number ("Higher Ground") and a vocalese masterpiece rendition of "Blueberry Hill." I defy you not to have fun listening to this woman go wild with her limitless voice (I am trying to avoid categories). What about "Up In Heaven Shouting" which is a song sung backwards so that she can practice singing exactly on key but comes out sounding like she is singing in an entirely new language. If I had to pick one song that has stayed with me the longest (since I wore out the old albums), it is Percy Mayfield's "Danger Zone" sung in such a seductive and frightening manner that you will never forget it. Ellen McIlwaine has a huge voice and a killer guitar style but she has never sold out with the big-voiced ballads that make mediocre singers stars. Let's make her a star in her own right. She is gloriously self-invented, writing her own material, as well as borrowing from the best, but transforming it into something unrecognizable from the original. Discover this woman who has been a superstar to her fans for 30 years.

Ellen McIlwaine is the real thing. She was a contemporary of Janet Joplin and Jimmi Hendrix. More importantly, her voice surpasses Joplin's and her guitar playing is nearly on a level with Hendrix's. She plays amazing slide guitar blues and also writes her own music. She should rightfully be among the pantheon of Rock Star Gods. Everybody Needs It (the US version) is her best work.

Bluesy, but a bit one-dimensional for my tastes. Her commitment to her craft is evident, but her performances do not "ring my bell" the way I had hoped.