Customer Reviews

Feel So Good

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am an electric blues and blue/rock fanatic. I spend at least 25% of my free time researching electric blues. I read the few BLUES magazines available... and am always investigating on Amazon. I had this CD pop up as a recommended buy to me based on my buying history a couple of months ago... and after I listened to the 30 second minuscule samples on Amazon... I wasn't impressed enough to buy it. But a lesson learned... is that a 30 second sample... especially with electric blues... is worthless. The artist can't even tune his strings in 30 seconds. Then one day while I was brushing my teeth I had XM Bluesville on my TV... and I heard a long... great... string bending... blues song... and I turned around and saw that it was Albert Cummings' "FEEL SO GOOD". I don't know about you... but one of my 3 or 4 main criteria's when it comes to electric blues... is the length of songs. I then went back to Amazon to see the song lengths (not all Amazon products have that listed)... and 6 out of the 11 songs were over 5-minutes-30 seconds long... and three songs were over 7-minutes long. Of course this is no guarantee that they would be good... but to me... that is a better signal... than a 30 second sound bite. Well... I then ordered this CD... and to say I'm thrilled is an absolute understatement. This is a tremendous electric-blues-rock live performance. Albert bends the strings like SRV and his 8-minute-39-second medley "HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN/DIXIE CHICKEN" is a classic. And I must add that this song is the first live performance... that I've heard... where the part where the crowd joins in... has to make you smile. "BARRELHOUSE BLUES" is a 7-minute-19-second string-bending demonstration of what the blues are all about.

I could describe other songs in similar detail... and also add that Albert wrote six of the songs himself... which always makes me enjoy the music more... because I figure the artist feels the words more... when they're his words. The reason I entitled this review in the way I did... was because once I got this CD... I was so mad at myself for holding off with my buying decision... I wanted to take the time to help someone else speed up their decision... and not miss out on even a few days... let alone a few weeks... of joy... like I did. *YOU-WILL-NOT-BE-DISAPPOINTED*

and if you like electric guitar blues, played with passion, and like the reviewer before me commented on, played for the audience, this is a good choice. I saw Albert live in San Jose, in a tiny bar (great setting to hear this kind of music), and this disc captures his live act very well.
A bit of history, I first heard AC on XM Radio, and was so blown away I went right out and bought the album. It was "True to Yourself". Pick anyone of his records, you can't go wrong. Good singer too.

LOVE THIS CD!! It being a live show makes it even better. My favorite blues man!!!! You have to get this one. You WILL NOT be disappointed!!!!!!

I wanted to give this one 5 stars so badly, but felt I had to take off for the ballads "Sleep" and "Together As One", which are kind of bland. But other than that, Cummings comes up with a near-classic! Combining influences such as BB, Muddy, Delbert McClinton and Led Zeppelin, along with a few strong original compositions, he howls, wails and wah-wahs through a thoroughly entertaining set. He's a more than competent vocalist, & you can tell both he and the crowd are having fun. A very nice surprise!

I recently had the great pleasure of seeing Albert perform live at the Silver Dollar Club in Toronto. It was May 22nd 2009. I arrived at the club early, the doors were open so I walked up the stairs to the main room. As I was climbing the stairs I could hear the band warming-up and doing the sound check. I had a smile on my face that hurt.
My friend Pat and I were the only 2 people in the club and we sat and watched Albert and the band perform 3 songs, just for us. Not really just for us, although it seemed like it. It was amazing. We had a quick chat and I mentioned that it was about time he had made it to Toronto. Albert said he was concerned that nobody would show up because he wasn't sure if Toronto knew who he was. Albert was very happy to sign my cd cover as well as shoot the shi...for a few minutes.
Needless to say that Toronto showed Albert that we appreciated him and the band. It is no secret that SRV is one of his biggest influences, in fact he did say that during his show. I wonder if he was aware the Elmacombo was only a block down the street from the Silver Dollar.
The show was as intense as SRV at the Elmacombo, with as much blood, sweat and tears being sqeezed out of that poor abused strat that he could get. The crowd was going nuts as Albert played on and on and on. Albert was chatting with the crowd as well as mingling with as many fans as possible during their break. It was a great show, I am sure that Albert now knows that Toronto does know who Albert Cummings is and we hope he comes back soon.
Check out his first release, The Long Way, with his band called the Swamp Yankees. There is a review written by his then drummer and the circumstances behind the cd. Very interesting. All of the cd's by Albert are worth having. Just ask Tommy Shannon, who plays with Albert quite often. You know who Tommy is, don't you?

I was browsing and read Good reviews about Albert Cummings and since I haven't got any of his music in my collection decided to buy Feel So Good
Live CD and thought it was Great just like the tittle Recommended .

i bought this cd because it was recomended by amazon WOW Im glad i did I love his style, voice well everything, I ordered 2 other cd by him and they arent quite as good as this live version but they desirve 5 stars also... I'll soon have all he has released

There are white blues guitarists trying to sound authentic(black) and there are white blues guitarists working from the foundation laid by the (white) blues rock power trios of the late `60s and early `70s(basically, Cream to 10 Years After). None of these guitarists are going to hell for their musical direction and preference. Albert Cummings happens to be of the latter general grouping.
He's been on the road and recording for some time and never put out a record this reviewer would call "bad." He chooses good material and still, from the sounds of Feels So Good, feels so good about challenging himself to excel on every song, phrase and lick.
What makes him fairly unique among the white power trio front man blues rock axmen is that he does songs and shows for the audience. Most of these guys, these days, are out to amuse themselves, to see how long they can delude themselves into thinking they're not repeating any phrases during that 192-bar solo. Albert Cummings, for all his love of fast, screaming electric guitar, loves to entertain and give his audience a great show just as much.
Is this release any better than his previous work on this or other labels? It's as good. One can't really say much more than that. He's a praise-worthy, purchase-worthy, look-for-him-on-tour-worthy guy.

The five star review is really based on this man's amazing passion for the genre. Anyone who has seen Cummings live can attest to his unbridled joy in playing music. His Blues Makes Me Feel So Good REALLY IS his calling card. Like many of his contemporaries Cummings is an average songwriter who sticks to the usual blues themes. For a live disc this has flash and fireworks galore. It's just a helluva lot of fun to listen to. The "Hoochie Coochie Man /Dixie Chicken" medley is perfect. Highly recommended.

ok, beyond that 'WOW', I heard Rock Me Baby on the way to work, and had the CD as soon as Amazon shipped it! Love the man's range, style, voice and guitar. In fact, he's so awesome, I'm missing work to see him live this weekend, and if you knew me, you'd know that just doesn't happen!!
Have a feeling I'll soon be saying I saw him live before he owned Blues Rock. Buy this, NOW