Search - David Bromberg :: Player: Retrospective

Folky, Funky Fun

Bruce Kendall | Southern Pines, NC | 02/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"David Bromberg is one of those musicians that is tough to pigeonhole. His gumbo recipe consists of a touch of blues, a dab of funk,a dollop of old timey folk, with an off-kilter, slightly out-of-tune delivery thrown in for lagniappe . He's hung around the periphery of the music scene for quite a while now. With his unique blend of sardonic, off-the-wall wit and masterful song-styling, his has always been a distinctive voice in the cookie cutter landscape of contemporary music. Best known for his rendition of the Jerry Jeff Walker classic, "Mr. Bojangles," he's never been a big success commercially, but has always been one of those performers who truly deserve wider exposure. For Bromberg fans, this CD will be familiar territory, as is the case with all "best-of" compendiums. As retrospectives go, however, this is particularly well produced, both in terms of sound quality and song selection. It provides as good an overview of a long and productive career as a 15 song CD can achieve. There are a few songs left off the album that I personally would have liked to have seen included in a true "retrospective," however. Bromberg's 1977 recording of "Child's Song," off his Reckless Abandon album, for instance, is the most bittersweet and poignant rendition of that song I've ever heard. Also missing: "Send me to the L'Ectric Chair" (1974, Wanted Dead or Alive), "Joke's on Me," (1975, Midnight on the Water), "Sweet Home Chicago" (1976, How Late'l Ya Play 'Til?). His '77 best-of release, Out of the Blues: Best of David Bromberg, is another possibility for getting a taste of his earlier recordings, but what is truly needed is a two or even three CD disc (Rhino Records style), to present a true compendium of this singer/songwriter's prolific career. Hopefully, fans will be rewarded with something of the sort in the not too distant future.BK"

I know I ain't good lookin....

ira povey | Denver | 07/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Retrospective is an apt title for this collection, as it is not what I would call the "best" of Bromberg...of course, someone out there might. Most of these songs, though, are killers: Dehlia is incredibly heartfelt and honest without smacking of nerdy technicality (as some white "folkies" can). Sharon is great to crank up when the wife is out... Mr. Bojangles is transformed miraculously from cliche' to poetry...But why why WHY put sappy tunes on like the annoying Mr. Blue when there is so much better Bromberg stuff out there??? I would get either one of the "How Late'll Ya Play Till?" disks for a more consistently blissful Bromberg experience."

Bromberg rules

Daniel Geiger | Minneapolis | 04/20/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first became aware of David Bromberg when he guested on a summer replacement series hosted by the late Bobby Darin in the early 70's. Here was this amazing musician with the unusal face and unusal voice to match. But could he play! I proceeded to see him in concert dozens of times since that day and anticipated each album release. I started my own band, named it the SOUL REVIEW after a comment of David's at the start of his first COLUMBIA RECORDS album. We played several of Bromberg's songs.
Hearing this album brought all of that back to me...and then some. It made me wonder....where is David Bromberg now? David if you stumble on this review....I would love to talk with you."