I'm Still the Same

Bonnie Bramlett | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 9, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Audium Entertainment
• ASIN: B000068Q0I
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,265 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning!, August 12, 2003

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I'm Still the Same (Audio CD)

Bonnie Bramlett's "I'm Still the Same" is a stunning piece of work. The joy of singing and performance shines through every track. 3 tracks here come into my CLASSIC category, which makes this a 5-star essential listening set. Bonnie's self-penned "What If" is thoroughly addicting with Jason Webb's pumping piano keyboards giving a pulse and Bonnie's vocals sounding like a cousin to a tango, "Love keeps on reaching, faith keeps on pullin', Hope keeps demandin' I leave no man's land." Obviously not a news flash, "Superstar" written by Bonnie with Delaney Bramlett & Leon Russell is one of the most haunting melodies penned. Bonnie does not re-do this like some aging star trying to milk mileage out of her big hit, but totally embus the track with a worldly wisdom filled with longing, regret and even a chuckle. Wow! You don't want to miss this recording. The third classic track is the playful jazz workout Bonnie penned with Luke Reed, "Sure Sign of Something," "Now I ain't no doctor of psychology, and it don't make no difference 'cause it's plain to see, you've got somethin' goin' on you're tryin' to justify; you keep lookin' in the mirror tryin' to find somebody else." This & Sloan Wainwright's "From Where You Are" are two of the new great classic songs I've heard recently. On the familiar covers, Bonnie holds her own. Her "Cry Me A River" is different from Joe Cocker and as good as the dear Ella Fitzgerald and even my fave Joan Baez. Patsy Cline's signature song that even Petula Clark recorded on her "Downtown" LP sounds great as Bonnie hits all the right emotions on "You Belong to Me." Although Timi Yuro's 1961 hit version of "Hurt" has long been a favorite, Bonnie so remakes and adopts it that I had to focus and think whether it was the same tune! It's excellent. Bonnie's first credit in the liner notes is to thank God and her savior Jesus Christ; and it's obviously that she's attuned to a great source of joy & creativity. This is one disc you'll want to seek out. Wow! Totally WOW!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Even better, September 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: I'm Still the Same (Audio CD)

It's been more than 20 years since Bonnie Bramlett's last release, so I really wondered whether her new CD, "I'm Still the Same," could possibly live up to its title. I'm happy to report that in every important way Bonnie Bramlett IS still the same. Her voice has retained all of its power, range and color, and she remains one of the most soulful and intelligent singers around.

What has changed in the intervening years -- and not for the better -- is the quality of pop/r&b singing, where pyrotechnics are now valued over genuine emotion. With "Hurt," the first cut on the CD, Bonnie throws down the gauntlet for the current generation of vocalists. "Hurt" was originally a hit for another wonderful singer, Timi Yuro, back in 1961 (it reached #4, its highest position on the Billboard chart, on 9/11/61). Bonnie's reading of the song is full of restrained emotion that builds to a wailing glissando that will send chills up your spine.

Another highlight of the CD is a new take on "Superstar." I loved Bonnie's original recording, and was curious how she would approach this material more than 30 years later. The original was a straightforward, almost innocent ballad sung by a groupie who was loved and left behind. The new recording is a torch song sung by the same woman, 30 years older but still not over that one-night stand that made her feel so special. You hear every lost year in her repeated pleas of "don't you remember?".

I passed on the album Bonnie recorded several years ago with a Christian label, but if the material is anything like "Made a Believer Out of Me," I'll have to track it down. This is a big band gospel swing tune that will have you dancing in your kitchen. It's absolutely infectious, and the religion is ladled out with a blessedly light hand.

I share another reviewer's quibble about some of the arrangements, which really work against Bonnie's sincere interpretation of the material. I could have done with out the cliched lonesome harmonica and Kenny G-like solos; I hope Bonnie loses them on her next outing. Fortunately, the vocals were compelling enough to get me through these moments.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bonnie belts 'em out!, February 18, 2003

By 

Mitchell Lopate (Adak, Alaska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm Still the Same (Audio CD)

The title song's claim aside (and don't you believe it for a minute--she has reached a new level of powerful emotive feeling, sensitive display, and dynamic assertiveness), this is an entirely new side of Bonnie: a radiant, confident diva with vision, strength, and pride. Embracing a jazz-like arrangement and autobiographical majesty as her theme, Bonnie takes her place in the sacred company of Ella, Judy, and Billie. Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall, are you listening? One limo, please, and two dozen roses, of course. Who says things don't get better as we get older?