Customer Reviews

Gone Wanderin'

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Blowing a tasty blues harmonica and really filling up the space in between with fluid and rich chords, Jackie Greene plays his way into your hearts and ears. Confidence-that's one thing he has; his voice carries it strongly with the homespun lyrics that pour out in a sensitive tenor. Maybe another Jackson Browne? The urge to catalogue him is immediate-but not as easy as I wanted. The harmonica was vintage Dylan-and maybe Neil Young. The same for the guitar: on an acoustic, he looks as though he had been on stage for years, especially with the furious rhythm he sets on several songs. Who did something like that...Buddy Holly? Maybe. Where did he get that maturity? Something like Waylon as a young man...and he finger-picks ballads ("Gracie") like Willie did before he went grizzled and gray. But Jackie is skinny-has a mop of dark hair that sits under a porkpie hat-and looks like someone ought to take him home and keep him for a while.

He can pull up to a keyboard set and proceeded to ripple as fine a boogie-woogie cabaret piano as Billy Joel would do-and yes, the harp is still clamped and honking. No fooling: this is why those lessons you quit in spite of your parents' pleas were valuable. He's also quite adept at bluegrass banjo, electric guitar, and a Hammond B-3 too, but that's on the CD. And it rocks-with good licks and rough-and-ready stuff. "Tell Me Mama, Tell Me Right" just slides ever so gracefully under your shuffling feet, "Mexican Girl" has Jackie torn between love and destiny, "Down in the Valley Woe" goes aloft with a fast-paced crescendo, "Cry Yourself Dry" means you just closed the bar, and "Freeport Boulevard" is where the action's at for a hot night. Now, let me get back to the CD; is he a western Van Morrison? Maybe he came from the days of Poco? Just can't help comparing him...and most likely, he's gonna be just fine being himself.

Like many other reviewers, my first exposure to Jackie Green came earlier this year when I saw him open up for Jonny Lang in Anaheim, CA. Though Jonny Lang delivered an amazing show and exhibited why he is considered one of the most talented guitar players on the planet, Jackie Green would have been worth the price of admission by himself. He plays with a raw energy that grabs you on the very first note. His music is a combination blues, folk, and good old fashioned rock-and-roll, and his play on the acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonica will astound you. Buy this record. Buy all of Jackie Green's records. And if you have the chance to see him live, don't miss it!

I had the good fortune of seeing Jackie play live last week as Jonny Lang's opening act. It was amazing, simply put. I have never seen someone move from instrument to instrument with such ease and fluency. He was completely alone on stage, with no backup band or even another rhythm guitar player, and to tell the truth, he didn't need anyone else. The songs were wonderful. The lyrics - all of which he wrote - range from a light sing-along style to deep and impactful poetry on music. I bought his CD immediately.
"Gone Wanderin'" is truly one of the best CD's I have ever heard. It opens with the song the CD was named for, a light but wistful tune that could have come straight out of the Great Depression. "By the Side of the Road, Dressed to Kill" and "Gracie" are stunningly poetic ballads that could tear your heart out if you let them. The last track on the CD is a live one with Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers, which is I appreciate all the more after actually seeing Jackie play live.
Many people have compared Jackie Greene to Bob Dylan or other epic folk-rock singers of the past, but Jackie can stand alone and do well without these comparisons. He's just himself, and that's so much better than being "the next ______." He is a true artist.

This is Greene's second album. Although I personally don't think it's as strong as Rusty Nails (his first) or Gone Wanderin (his 3rd) it is, nonetheless, amazing. There's a tendency to try to define this guy by relating him to other artists (Dylan, Waits, Henley, Greg Allman, etc.). That doesn't give you the true story - Jackie does use elements that seem to be made up of the best-of-the-best but he has his own sound, and his own style - it's just hard to describe. I've exposed this record to a lot of diverse folks who like a lot of different type of music - everyone, without exception, has loved it.

Jackie Greene opened for B. B. King last night here in Seattle. First off, you've got to figure that any twenty-two year old who can snag an opening spot for the world's greatest living guitar player (according to Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time") has to have something special.
And, trust me, he does. I'm not even a blues/folk fan (Smashing Pumpkins all the way, baby), but Greene has mindblowing talent. He's credited with songwriting, vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, piano, harmonica and banjo in his liner notes - and he plays them all with the ease of an old pro. His talent as a songwriter alone should earn him immense praise.
As someone else said, Jackie Greene blows Johnny Lang totally out of the water in the Young White Kids Doing Blues competition.
I - along with a whole lot of others, judging from the line to buy CDs and have them signed after his set - am expecting great things from Mr. Greene.

Jackie Greene opened for B.B. King last night in Seattle. The King of Blues!! (That should really say something about this kid right there!) None of us had heard of him before. He doesn't even look like he needs to shave, much less be able to drive -- just a skinny, almost beatnik-looking kid. But, wow, can he play!! Like others said -- harmonica with either the guitar or keyboard at the same time. Some of his music is very bluesy, while a lot has a definite country sound. After about 40 minutes playing, he received a standing ovation and performed an encore song (not yet released!), when all of us were there to see B.B.! We could have listened to him all night, he was that good! We're ordering his CD today! He has a serious future in front of him -- just glad we got to see him before he makes it big! We'll be watching for him!

I saw Jackie two nights ago when he played with Susan Tedeschi. I had never heard of him. He walked out on stage with an attitude....torn blue jeans and dark sunglasses..no back up. Just him, his guitar and his harmonica. I found out later his band missed the gig. I whispered to my date, "who is this, Bob Zimmerman (Dylan)?" He was even heckled at first by some drunk lesbians ("Woman Of Substance Tour," St. Paul, MN). The kid held his own and blew the audience away. He was amazing. As if he didn't stun the audience enough with his bluesey renditions on his guitar and soulful voice, he moved later to the keyboard and showed us his honky tonk style which appeared effortless. The room was stunned and then we were hooked. He had us. I just ordered the CD online...looking forward to hearing more about him in his future. He makes Johnny Lang look inexperienced..and I believe he may be SRV reincarnated.

Wow. I think that would be the best way to start this review off. I just got home a little bit ago from seeing B.B. King play the Warner Theater here in Erie. He was, of course, awesome. But that is to be expected. What was not so expected was the opening act, or at least how good he was. I am, of course, referring to Jackie Greene. When he walked out on stage at first, I was confused. A skinny white kid opening up for the greatest blues guitarist alive today. Well, that got my attention quick. Jackie played several songs from his first two albums and a few off his next one. Very impressive. This guy can play the blues like many 3-4 times his age. (Then again he is 7 years my senior.) But he definitely rocked the house. He played about an hour long set and I wish he could have played longer. As a musician I hope that I can eventually work my way up to his level. I spent my money that I saved for a month going to see Mr. King. Looks like my next month's savings is going to buy Jackie's records. Then in a year or so, I'll be saving to see him solo. This kid has got what it takes and is destined for stardom. I can't wait for him to get big so I can say I saw him when he was an opening act. (As all greats have to be at some point.) If you read this Jackie, as I imagine you might, great job keeping the blues alive for our generation and congratulations on getting yourself a new fan!

Man, this kid is so talented... Saw Jackie Greene live recently in Santa Cruz and I was blown away. Don't want to get carried away and call him the future of American rock... but he's a good place to start. He rolled through songs effortlessly and I was always thinking, who does that sound like. At times, it's John Fogerty or Neil Young. Other songs will remind you of Elton John or the Stones. It's not groundbreaking music but he plays bluesy rock that hits like an instant classic. Oh yeah, the album. Ordinarily, I would give this 4 or 4.5 stars and reserve 5 stars for an all time great album. But on Amazon, if you love the album, it gets 5 stars. So there you go.

I have just seen Jackie Greene on 8/21/03,he was the opening
act for Susan Tedeschi.I have got to tell you, I think the guy got more standing ovations than Susan did.He was amazing.Buy the cd,you won't be disapppointed.