Customer Reviews

Songs From Venice Beach

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was strolling down the Venice Beach boardwalk in the Summer of 1983 when I came upon a small crowd. If you've been on the boardwalk you know that's nothing out of the ordinary. But the music coming from the middle. Wow! I won't try to describe it in words except to say that tired man sitting on a milk crate delivered the best live performance I've seen in 30 years with a beat up acoustic guitar and no amplification. I walked straight to Penny Lane records and bought "Watch your Step." Grab anything you can find by Ted.

This man is a genius in my eyes. A voice and an acoustic guitar that entertains me for an entire album. His voice is pure butter. A struggling street singer who eventually got a record contract but died before he recieved a check. His story is an amazing one that almost seems like a movie. On this disk he covers mostly old classic soul songs. Hence the title "Songs From Venice Beach" Ted knew how to make the money on the street buy playing songs people were familiar with. Don't get the wrong idea though these songs are definetely performed in true Ted Hawkins style. This CD is very comforting it's kind of hard to explain unless you listen to it. You can tell from his music that Ted Hawkins was a very genuine man.

Some of the songs on this CD, and the aching in Ted Hawkins' voice, will make you want to cry. Hawkins chose to sing about many dark, dark subjects, but his voice was a gift from God. Spiritually uplifting and damn depressing, sometimes within the same song. It's a mystery why, but I love it...

This voice reaches out and touches you. This man has clearly lived some hard times and learned how to forgive. The song, "Ladder of Success" is alone worth the purchase. You will find that the spiritual side of this guy is not pushy and yet hard to ignore. I find his spiritual songs to be his most genuine. Ted Hawkins was a genuis and this is a must-have.

Wonder where the soul of music has gone? People like Ted hawkins don't have a monopoly on it, but they have the lion's share. Ted is, alas, dead, but man, what he left us with is pure gold. It should have been more but we should rejoice with what we do have. My favorite is track 1, in fact it's one of my favorite tracks ever. The first time I listened to it I was brought to tears. Pure, unadulterated human beauty, a 200 proof shot of the depths of human feeling. This is what you get from Hawkins - a religious experience. Surely, if a man is able to sing and communicate like this, we must be sentient beings. Buy this one. Don't wait.

This is a great cd. Ted Hawkins (who unfortunately passed away a few years ago) had an incredible voice. He worked Venice Beach for a long time and had a couple of record deals (in the 60's and again in the 80's). I have most of his cds and this is one of my favorites. You usually find his stuff filed under the acoustic blues section, but he really covered a much broader range. If you like acoustic guitar and a deep, distinctive voice, you will love this cd.

"I just want my music to be out there and have people hear me sing, because I have something for them." Ted Hawkins

If you are a fan of the BLUES, then please make haste and order this one now. Such a sweet, sublime, simple and serene soul, that is what Ted Hawkins possessed. His music is gentle and genuine, and, as I stated above, it's just one man's voice accompanied by his guitar (a la Richie Havens). Those of you who love REAL music, music that moves you, music you can listen to all day long and never tire of, then this is your man and you are in for a real treat. I saw this cat play down in Venice Beach, Cali in the early 90's and was absolutely blown away (as was the entire audience!).

His bluesy voice is breathtakingly poignant, very reminscent of Sam Cooke (one of his idols) and the great modern-day Blue's master Keb Mo. I have turned an inordinate amount of people on to his late, great sound over the past twenty-plus years without even trying. All I do is play his music, and the questions started popping in all directions - 'who is this guy Joey?', 'what is this you have on, it's great stuff?' etc... The next thing you know, they are thanking me for the intro and die hard fans they soon become. I can honestly attest to the fact that no matter what type of music you are into, you are definitely going to dig and be moved by this underground treasure!

Hawkin's best work is arguably "The Next Hundred Years", but this CD is nothing short of a five-star classic in and of itself. He more than does justice to such classics as "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby", "Just My Imagination", Curtis Mayfield's "Gypsy Woman" (my favorite), Sam Cooke's "Good Times" and "Somebody Have Mercy" to name a few. His voice and guitar at times seem to meld into one, and it's almost impossible to label him into one category of music (i.e. Blues, R&B, Soul). Hell, even my friends who dig Country Music have become ardent fans of this Venice Beach diamond in the ruff. His music, transcends all genres.

If you don't like this and you made the purchase based upon my review, I will purchase this CD back from you. That is how confident I am about my drum banging!

Enjoy!

I just bought some of his songs and just really enjoyed them. It's hard to turn the CD player off with his songs.

This person is one of the most beautiful people on the planet. Very soft spoken and gentle, yet a very powerful and warming voice. I could go for hours listening to this guy sing! Drop by Venice Beach, CA sometime, and MAYBE he'll sing you a song if he's still there.

Ted Hawkins' music still soars and inspires, even over a decade after his death. Fans, or those interested in discovering this artist, will not be disappointed with this, or any of his CDs.