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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
but the blues is enough, September 30, 2000
i saw this show, with several members of the original broadway cast, in september, 2000 in grand rapids, mi. it was fantastic and much better than anticipated; it is a review in the style of "smokey joe's cafe" and may have a tie-in to that show. i liked this one better. one song followed another and the big photos shown as background gave a poignancy and sense of history to the whole thing. it started out with old african songs and chants and one song followed another for a good two hours and it should have ended with the rousing version of "good night irene." it ended with a bizarre song, billie holiday's strange fruit," and then a train of freedom type song, the low key, feel good "members only." the latter is on the album and comes off well. my only criticism of the album echoes another, earlier one -- too many songs from the show are left off the cd. i would rather they put out a two or even three cd version and included more songs. it would be worth the money to get all the songs. the ones they picked are good, but they left off quite a few of the raunchier, blatantly sexual blues, such as the cutesy good girl/bad girl song and the crotch-grabbing king snake song, and the appalachian ones and the patsy kline tribute, which may not sound like the typical black blues, but they are tied in nicely, and gave them a way to get a white guy up there... I guess phenom johnny lang was originally on broadway in this and no one can touch him on blues guitar these days. we bought the cd ... and when i played it i was struck by the great sound. it is from a live show, with clapping and comments and is crystal clear, both vocals and instrumental backup. again, "good night irene" rocks out and will get you going. my only picky criticism of the songs on the cd and in the show is that they should have put more oomph into "st. louis blues," and done it as a group ensemble, building to a more raucous finish, as on the louis armstrong plays w.c handy album. it is too restrained, but maybe that is how bessie smith originally did it. "fever" worked perfectly in a restrained, controlled, smolderingly sensuous delivery. the voices all were strong and the heavy-set guy who was sort of the the leader of the ensemble stole the show. the guitar playing white guy in back was slick and great on "good night irene." the guy who wrote the show is a dead ringer for redd foxx, albeit with shoulder length hair and overalls, and the three female vocalists are foxes who will knock your socks off. everybody has a strong broadway, jazz or blues pedigree and there is not a weak voice in the show. the saxaphone and keyboards that come in occasionally help capture the bluesy mood. i recommend you buy this album; it will be money well spent. if you are not a blues brother or sister, you will be one after you listen to this. it has it all -- old african; gospel; howlin' blues' chicago blues; and modern, glitzed up blues. contrary to one of the songs, the thrill is not gone... if you buy this album, it won't be gone for you either.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not your typical Broadway musical, March 24, 2000
Before you buy this CD, I feel obligated to let you know that IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES isn't your average Broadway style musical. If you're looking for showstopping chorus numbers, you'd best stick to CABARET or JEKYLL & HYDE; this show had a grand total of 7 cast members. It's also not the typical boy-meets-girl narrative of so many shows, either. Instead, it's a history of the blues.That being said, there is some GREAT music to be found on this disc. The songs go all the way back to African tribal chants, includes a sampling of the songs slaves sung in the fields, and gradually makes its way up to a form that is now recognized as the Blues. Some great talent is asked to help out on this record -- Taj Mahal, BB King, Jonny Lang, and others. One final thing: do not just listen to this CD on your stereo system. It doubles as a CD-rom with a fascinating half-hour A/V presentation on the history of Blues, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and Taj Mahal. IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES, while not synonymous with the great Broadway shows, is a musical history lesson of the highest regard.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It shouldn't be anything but "It Ain't Nothin but The Blues", May 11, 2000
In one word, spectacular. Unfortunately, this musical never got the true attention it deserved during and after it's broadway run. Sickness of cast members and a highly-publicised snubbing by the Tony Awards have conspired to keep this most original musical from us, and thank the Gods of Blues in Heaven (Or Chicago, depending if Blues is your religion, and it just may be after listening to this CD) that the original cast recording, starring Ron Taylor and so many other Blues greats has come to CD. "It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues" traces the evolution of Blues music from Africa and Slavery days to the present day. I was fortunate enough (by what can only be interpreted as an act of fate) to see this show before it went to Broadway, at the Lyceum Theatre in San Diego, California, and even though I was skeptical at the beginning of the night, by the end of it, I was singing the blues!I'll state that I am a person that people would least expect to like Blues music, and until I saw this musical, I had no real conscious desire to listen to any. This musocal made me an instant convert. It is so good that in just two hours I had discovered by soul and by the last song I was singing along with everyone else in the theatre. I'd recommend this CD to anybody wanting to expand their musical palette, and it's a great introduction to blues music. Since you get to listen to it from the beginning of its roots you develop an understanding of the music that is better than just putting on a Blues CD from the present and pressing play. Want more? How about B.B. King? Jonny Lang? Buddy Guy? The best part of it all is that the lead singer and co-creator of the musical is "Bleeding Gums Murphy" Himself, Ron Taylor. Buy this now and let the good times roll!
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by Ron Taylor 
