Customer Reviews

Fire It Up

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

 

 

This is the 3rd release from Bill Perry and, in my opinion, the weakest of the three. The songs are much less dark, brooding, and personal which was a trademark of his previous releases. The man is still a monster on lead guitar, but the songs themselves are not up to par with his best stuff. I think that part of the problem is that his input on this cd (songwriting, production, etc.) is not what it was compared to his first two excellent releases. The result is a great blues musician trying to overcome average and stylistically ill suited material. My suggestion would be to find "Love Scars" and "Greycourt Lightning" to get a true feel of what Bill is capable of doing. Get this cd only after hearing the first two.

I saw bill perry play where I live , OH MY GOD this man can really give it to you with his guitar this is another man who rocks my world,I just love him I even got a signed poster from him along with a CD signed that he donated to huggs n hope for sick children, This man is a great one , another great one is Howard Luedtke That man is also a total rock on god check them out

Good new album by this bigtime east coast blues guitar player. He's paid his dues and he finally finds himself on the bigger blues label Blind Pig. On this first CD for Blind Pig he eases back just a little on the guitar gymnastics, and focuses more on the songs. The results here are for the most part pretty good. Especially on the opener "ITCHIN' FOR IT" which features some very nice slide guitar playing. The title song "FIRE IT UP", is a bouncy upbeat tune, and probably the catchiest, most radio friendly song on the album. On the slow burner "THINKIN' OF YOU" Perry finally unleashes his guitar attack and shows us just how intense his solos can get. On the instrumental "G & L JUMP" and "HEAVEN IN A PONTIAC" Perry throws some rock and roll our way. Both also feature some nice keyboard work. My favorite here is "PRESSURE", where Perry really lays down some cool grooves with his constantly changing rhythms, and some brief, but very intense guitar work. This one is blues rock at it's very best, and the song that comes closest to matching the energy of his first 2 albums. The CD ends with the acoustic "CHEATIN' BLUES". Man, this guy is such a good and entertaining acoustic guitar player. A great song to end the album with. It's not quite as good as his first two albums, but nevertheless this is an entertaining CD that has enough tasty guitar hooks thrown in to keep the listener interested. Perry is a top shelf blues player who needs to be seen "live" to really be appreciated. But this is still a good first release for Blind Pig. Get it and "Fire It Up".

Stumbled across this CD after listening to a cut on a local station. Fabulous guitar work. I've put this one in my TOP 10 list and will be listening to it for many years to come.

I recognize the guitar work, but everything else reeks of a heavy-handed producer more concerned with seeing his own name in lights (and no doubt the financial returns) than the integrity of the artist. I much preferred Bill's own song-writing on his last cd. I can appreciate the desire for a more commercial approach, but not at the risk of losing the raw energy and quirky talents of the man himself.Purchase "Greycourt Lightning" or "Live At Manny's Carwash" if you want the real deal.

I've met this guy and hung out with the band for a night.
Part of the reason i rated this albulm so high is because of who
the man is and after actually talking to him i see where some of the music comes from.
bill is a god on guitar and is really underrated in the guitar realm, but most blues men dont recieve the attention they should.
anyway this is a good album, but seeing him live will blow your mind! he does hendrix almost as good as hendrix and definitely better than anyone who has ever covered hendrix tunes!
he's a great musician with alot of real life experience in his music, he's a deep human being and a great musician.
all of his cds are great! buy them all!