Customer Reviews

Welcome

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Let me start by saying that this cd has one of the greatest songs ever written/performed..."So You Want it to Rain". AWESOME song. Mind you, this is a slow song, but it is a perfect fit for his voice and guitar. I would get this cd just for that song, but the bonus is, the whole cd is great. It's not really Rock, it's not really Blues, it's Doyle Bramhall II. I would say "Jellycream" is good also, but not as good as "Welcome" and the one titled "Doyle Bramhall II" I wasn't happy with that one. Of course the Arc Angels is Excellent. That's the cd that led me on the road to descover Doyle Bramhall II. Hope this helps.

Doyle Bramhall has made taken up where Cream, Stevie Ray and Buddy Guy left off. While certainly playing his own style, there are elements of all the greats present in this presentation. "Blues that isn't afraid to rock" is how I would label this album.

Andrew Mueller's review for Amazon (above) mentions interminable guitar solos. The guy just doesn't get it. The guitar solos are magic. No, they won't fit into neat little 3 minute packages for radio play. This isn't mindless commercial music, it's artistry. If you love good guitar playing, you'll love this album.

First of all, I agree that this recording and "Jellycream" are very different, and I LOVE "Jellycream". But, if you are truly a fan of Bramhall's voice AND his guitar virtuosity, this album is for you. I don't think there is a smoother voice in rock and roll today and Bramhall definitely can play some blues guitar. I'm surprised he's not more commercially successful, but that's never been a bad thing for the music or the musician for that matter...Unfortunately, Stevie Ray Vaughn was not very commercially successful until his death. Let's hope Doyle II is around for many more albums.

I have only recently become exposed to the amazing music & talent of Doyle Bramhall II, and i truly feel like i've missed out all this time. I first heard Green Light Girl on the radio and thought it was a great, good old fashioned rock n roll song. I found out a friend had his cd and i immediately borrowed it, and fell in love with it on the very first listen. He blends rock, and blues amazingly well, and is by far one of the best guitar players i've heard in years. I have since gotten my hands on his previous 2 cd's which are just as wonderful as "Welcome" (a nice surprise was to see Wendy and Lisa produced his debut cd~i have been a big fan of theirs since the Prince days). Anyone sick of all the trashy bubble-gum music that is flooding mtv and radio should definitely check this cd out, to see what TRUE music sounds like.

Texas is known for her guitar talent. SRV, Jimmie Vaughan, Albert Collins, T-Bone Walker, Johnny Winter, etc.... Doyle II does them all justice.. From "Greenlight Girl" to "Problem Child" to "Thin Dream", he plays it like no other... in a day and age where most musicians are [angry], leaving you with a depressed feeling after listening to their songs, Doyle just flat out rocks. No whining... no griping... just him and the guitar.. and a whole lotta funk, kiddies. We're talkin about string breakin', tube burnin', sweaty rock/blues. I've played this style music in my local blues band, Voodoo Rooster, for some time now, never knowing what to call it. I think one name sums it up.... its definately Doyle. I've read reviews where they call him the next Stevie Ray Vaughan, or the next Jimi Hendrix.. two great figures who will never be matched.. Bramhall combines the best of the two (including SRV's 'soul patch' and Jimi's upside down guitar) and, im hoping, has started a revival in music. ...DOYLE IT UP!

Ever since I heard the self-titled album "Arc Angels", I've been
hooked on both Doyle Bramhall II & Charlie Sexton. Many have labeled that album a classic - I must agree & "Welcome" gets my vote as well. It rocks! This guy has got the ability to start out with a slow ballad and ramp it up till it boils over... or just plain hit you in the head from the start. Songs like "So You Want it to Rain", "Thin Dream", "Cry" & "Green Light Girl", "Problem Child", "Helpless Man" - go ahead and name the song - classic stuff. I know he's been called just another Stevie Ray copy-cat, but I don't buy that... He's his own musician and doesn't copy anybody. Congratulations Doyle. Any chance for another album from
the Arc Angels? or Smokestack? Sign me up....

Doyle has said his intentions in making this record were to make a good rock and roll record, the kind he enjoys. His comfort and confidence in both his playing and his vocals comes across absolutely clearly here, and any fan of Doyle's (or of SRV-like blues rock, or classic rock, or anyone with a pulse) will not be disappointed. Doyle's songwriting has blossomed and he's moved past what little reservations he had in writing the material for "Jellycream." His vocals here are at their best ever, and they go together with his fiery guitar work seamlessly. I really can't think of a track on this album that I don't like. Although there are tiny shades of Jellycream in this album (songs like "I'm The One" and "Snakecharmer" from that album sound similar to a few of these), this is on the whole a very different album.

It moves through all sorts of genres, from the Floydian sounding "So You Want It To Rain" and "Thin Dream," to the swinging Stones' style "Soul Shaker." You can definitely hear his Texan blues influences in tracks like "Problem Child" (which I've heard compared to "Voodoo Chile"), "Helpless Man," and the tour de force "Smokestack," which goes all over the map, touching on quiet acappella and ending in a fury of guitar pyrotechnics. Material like that may prove to be a bit much for some people, but not to worry, there are other highlights. Every single song has its hook, resulting in me never hitting the skip button on my CD player when I put this on.

"Life" reveals some distinctively Beatle influences, and the passage where Doyle sings "Closer you get to the edge and you're floating away" sounds eerily similar to John Lennon's "Cellophane flowers of yellow and green towering over your head." "Send Some Love" is absolutely fantastic, with hauntingly beautiful soul-filled vocals (he hits some high notes in there that you will not have heard anywhere from him before) and a great guitar solo in the middle. Fans of Eric Clapton, for whom Doyle is the opening act right now, should catch the opening riff of "Cry" and make the connection to EC's "River of Tears." Here Doyle evolves it into a masterpiece, with some of the best riffs of the album to close it all off, really giving the entire album a sense of finality, as if this were one 68 minute concert.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for great rock and roll in this day and age, and I guarantee you you won't be disappointed.

Doyle Bramhall's Welcome, his first album with Smokestack, is a tremendous show of his talents. He has the blues ballads like "Cry" and "Thin Dream", but also shows he can rock with "Green Light Girl". I am pleased to say that almost every song has a solo, but the one at the end of "Smokestack" is by far the best. If your a fan of SRV you will love this album.

I saw Doyle Bramhall II and Smokestack warm up for Eric Clapton at a concert in Copenhagen in February 2001, and after Clapton had entered the stage and played a few numbers, he invited Doyle onto the stage, where they jammed! Let me tell you, I wish that session had been recorded, if anyone has it I would like to know, it was some of the best guitar play I've ever heard, hearing Mr. Slow hand jam with Millennium Blues Rock Child Doyle Bramhall II was absolutely amazing! They mixed perfectly, and in the same way, Doyle's voice blends in perfectly with Smokestacks drummer, bassist, rhythm guitarist and female singer. It's a pleasure listening to the outcome of their incredibly talented play, which is as spontaneous as a jam session but still has the quality of a well-planned concert. In the new millennium you rarely get to hear good music, with intelligent and meaningful lyrics and people actually playing their own instruments. I am of course talking about boyband and capitalistic pop, I'm sure you're, as I, unfortunate enough to know the names of these abusive violent attacks on music, which are no doubt hazardous for your health and music taste. "Welcome" is an excellent cure to these! Put the needle down and it's like opening a window and being hit with fresh air - Welcome is a great antidote to almost everything that's the sound of now.

Stevie Ray Vaughn may be gone, but his spirit lives on in Doyle Bramhall II. This former Arc Angels co-founder and co-frontman has cleaned up his act, gotten clean and sober, and shows he still has the musical chops!
He has one of the best voices for blues-based rock and roll today. You may have caught him in Roger Waters' recent line-up on his "In The Flesh" tour. Bramhall even sang lead on "Money" and made it his own.
Too bad we couldn't have gotten another Arc Angels CD from him, Charlie Sexton, and Double Trouble. This guy could, and should, be a major recording star.