Search - Colin James :: Bad Habits

Raef N. (Budgie) from GAITHERSBURG, MD
Reviewed on 2/20/2008...

Excellent album indeed. Colin James deploys his talents vocally and instrumentally. Blues with a million twists. Definitely a must!

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Knockout

Bob Davis | Christchurch New Zealand | 11/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a killer album. Thanks once more to Kazaa for the ability to discover other worthwhile artists. The album is full of great songs, tasty guitar and vocals that make you want to join in (even me the non-singer!). About half of the albums features songs from blues masters such as Elmore James (I Can't Hold You), Howlin' Wolf (Forty-Four), Robert Johnson (Walkin' Blues) and Barbecue Bob (Atlanta Moan), while the other half were co-written by James himself. James manages to package those songs into a variety of styles: pure blues (Bad Habits, Forty-Four), ballad like (Atlanta moan), uptempo rock (Real Stuff), blues/rock (Walking blues), to whatever you want to call it (Saviour / Freedom). As a bonus, vocal from Mavis Staples adds much to the 'Freedom' track and Kim Wilson plays great harmonica on 3 others. The thing I love most about the guitar playing is his ability to get so much feeling without playing many notes. His slide work is also top class. Almost every track is a highlight."

Excellent Effort

Russell Diederich | Littleton, CO United States | 05/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bad Habits shows that Colin James has come a long way since his self-titled album seven years earlier (1988). The playing on this album has a definite edge to it. This album is full of some of his own tunes mixed with a strong respect for the blues and its masters. The music on this album is very powerful. Throughout this album, he is able to mix in horns with his funky blues sound. "Saviour" heavy rhythm introduces us to this album with a large support from the horn section as well as some great slide-playing. The groove is pretty catchy, and you'll have a tough time getting it out of your head. My favorite track from the album is James' own "Freedom". Again, the horns add depth, and his solos are soulful without being overwhelming. Less than half of the songs on this album are James' own, but he steps up to the challenge and plays exceptionally on Howlin' Wolf's "Forty-Four" and Elmore James' "I Can't Hold Out". He even does a heavy slide version of Robert Johnson's "Walkin' Blues", different but tasteful. James is an exceptional guitar player. Listening to this album one can see why he opened for SRV. In fact, sometimes I can close my eyes and almost see SRV playing, like on the album's title cut. If you're looking for a good guitar blues album be sure to stop here and check out "Bad Habits". I do, again and again."