Customer Reviews

Let Them Talk

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I was able to purchase this in a store before it was made available on Amazon. I have to admit that my expectations weren't high although I am a huge fan of Hugh Laurie. So I was surprised by the strong points of this one...and there ARE indeed some very solid aspects to this CD.

But first...the largest objection... Laurie's voice. Admittedly, it won't be to everyone's taste but I found it to have an emotional depth that surprised me. As Laurie himself notes in the liner notes, "why listen to an actor's music?" He doesn't pretend to be anything other than "a white, middle-class Englishman" one who is "openly trespassing on the music and myth of the American south." So there you have it. He clearly loves the music and is trying to share his pleasure with listeners. I think he succeeds.

But what about the music? As soon as I heard the intro to "St James Infirmary" I was hooked. The intro is deep and resonant, nicely arranged and conducted by Allen Toussaint. Whether you like Laurie's voice or not, the horn arrangements by Allen Toussaint on this CD (St James Infirmary, Tipitina and Buddy Bolden's Blues) are breath-taking.

Then there are special guests such as Irma Thomas, Dr. John, Brian "Breeze" Cayolle, and Sir Tom Jones. If for no other reason, their vocals, Toussaint's involvement, and Cayolle's sax playing make this one worth buying.

But I think Laurie himself is also worth purchasing the CD. He deserves credit for making a bold move and throwing himself wholeheartedly into this compilation. While other reviewers have complained about his voice, I don't find it distracting. There is so much more to the CD than just "an actor's music." Give it a try and see for yourself.

Dear Music Appreciator,

Here are three reasons to buy this music:

1. You are the kind of music fan who has the patience to listen to a three minute instrumental before the vocals kick in (opening track "St. James Infirmary"). Perhaps you even enjoy the instrumental as much as the vocals, or maybe the delayed gratification on those vocals make them mean a little more when they do finally show up.

2. You have a thing for freaks, geeks, carnivals, New Orleans, nightclubs, jazz, blues, cool clarinets, sweltering saxophones, tinkling pianos heard over tinkling glasses and the kind of music that sounds best floating over a sea of little round tables with white tablecloths and smoke ring halos.

3. You enjoy traditional songs sung with bluesy, whiskey-soaked vocals from world-weary characters who've been around the block a time or two. And if the world weary-character that is singing also happens to play a world-weary doctor on a hit network television show that you`ve been known to enjoy, then so much the better.

Sincerely,

Constant Listener

Soulful, smokey sweet Hugh Laurie has produced a lasting legacy with this southern blues album. Worth waiting for its release, I'm now eagerly anticipating a second volume. Every song is beautifully executed, lyrics and music, by professionals. Laurie should plunge headlong into this new adventure of life.

I bought this cd yesterday at my friendly neighborhood Coffee Conglomerate. I didn't have to go anywhere yesterday so I tucked it away in my bag, knowing I had errands to run today, kids in tow. I bought it as a "Mom Rocks" present for myself, and I was glad I did when I read the liner notes having not heard a single note on the album.
Today was a gloomy day. The kind of day that calls for stew, crusty bread and a warm cup of tea. I shuffled the kids into he car, buckled them in, and popped this cd in my ghetto-rigged cd player.
The first bar opened up as the sky above me decided to follow suit. The slight pitter patter of rain on my windshield was the perfect accompaniment to a fantastic album. I was pleasantly surprised to hear his talent tug at my soul while I wound my way through Denver on a rainy day. My two year old was even silent while it was on; it was as if he was letting himself soak it all in, which is gorgeous when you get to witness it.
I must recommend this album to anyone who appreciates good music for what it is: It's a passport to your own soul. It may have nooks and crannies that can take you by surprise, but you are richer for the experience.

I like the choice of songs and there is nothing wrong with the playing of the instruments--although there is a certain careful polish to the playing...it lacks a certain rough passion that I like in blues. I almost get the feeling that Laurie wanted the playing to be perfect and thus didn't take chances, nor jam enough. It would have been fun to hear some out-takes or jamming.

The voice Laurie uses is fine for one song, but it sounds a bit affected when used on all of them. This too feels too practiced...I would have liked to hear him try and jam on the voice, vary it, grunt and groan a bit...play one song after a few "pints" or shots of whiskey.

While a few are criticizing him because he is already famous--and calling this a vanity album--I think that one has to give credit in that when you love the blues and jazz as much as Laurie does, that it takes a certain amount of courage to put out an album like this. I think that if he can relax a bit and do a few nightclub gigs after this album where he experiments with the songs more, that a second album may be better than the first, especially the voice. Sing a few with a natural British accent...relax...blues and jazz are about improvisation!

Bottom line, worth listening to, but I hope he does better on a second one, if he does a second one. Laurie is lucky he gets to follow one of his passions in addition to his "day job."

"St. James Infirmary" was previewed with Hugh Laurie's interview on NPR. The piano playing riveted me. He starts out with two + minutes of stately slow piano before the bass kicks in and then Laurie's voice snarls and snakes through the melody, continuing to plunk on the piano, "She was stretched out on a long white table, so cold, so sweet, so fair." It's a great track and made me run to the computer to place my order. "You Don't Know My Mind" is the second track and keeps our attention riveted with a toe tapper, "Sometimes I think my baby's too good to die; sometimes I think she should be buried alive." Laurie pounds the ivories with some barrelhouse blasts on the lively "Swanee River." Irma Thomas elevates "John Henry" into the stratosphere. "Tipitina" has Allen Toussaint's horn arrangement and sizzles out of my speakers. The set concludes with the title track that sums up Laurie's effort. He has fun and so we have fun. Enjoy!

Note: Song titles on the disc are incorrectly sequenced on my CD, listed on the computer in an incorrect order.

This album is so good that it makes me want to ask my plumber for financial advice (see Laurie's liner notes)! Like a lot of American kids who came of age in the '60's, my first exposure to the blues was through white English bands like the Animals, Manfred Mann, the Yardbirds, the original Fleetwood Mac, and the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton--and those are still great blues albums, all these years later. So the fact that Laurie happens to be a white Englishman is hardly a problem--any more than BB King's killer version of Willie Nelson's country classic "Nightlife" is a problem in the reverse direction. This album reminds me a little of "Jazz", Ry Cooder's brilliant homage to early jazz, and I hope there will be many more to come. Maybe the next one could include Red "House" or the "House" of the Rising Sun...

Hugh Laurie is a fantastic actor, but that wouldn't excuse him if he released terrible music. That doesn't seem to be the case here. I am and never have been a Blues guy, but this album is quickly turning me. I'm really enjoying it and I encourage people who don't like the Blues to give this album a go anyways.

Hugh Laurie is indeed a gifted musician, but not a gifted singer. Except for the stand-out St. James Infirmary, it would have been good if some of the people working with Mr. Laurie had told him so. Mostly (forgive me, Mr. Laurie) he sounds like someone at a party straining to reach the right notes. It can be grating. However, his piano playing is heavenly -- always hoping for more than a few bars on House -- and the general mood, tone and style of this album is worth the price for this edition. He uses the entire keyboard with fluidity and deep tonality. The piano, here, is not just a rhythm instrument. Don't know about the much pricier Special Edition which has three more tracks. The genre of New Orleans blues is well served here, with fun, enthusiasm and great guest artists. Lots of infectious tunes, when they're in Mr. Laurie's singing range.

PBS' Great Performances will feature Hugh Laurie performing these songs at a concert in the French Quarter. In Northern California it will be aired on Friday Sept. 30th, 2011. Should be roughly the same in other broadcast markets. Based on the samples here, it should be pretty good.