For a man who wrote such rock standards as "After Midnight," "Cocaine," "Call Me the Breeze," and "Magnolia," J.J. Cale maintains a surprisingly low profile. The Oklahoma singer/songwriter pioneered the fluid, laid-back, c... more »ountry-blues shuffles that provided aural blueprints for Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton, but not one of Cale's 12 albums has penetrated the top-40 charts. Guitar Man, Cale's 12th album, is his strongest in a long time for several reasons. He recorded it almost all by himself out in his California desert studio, and his imagination seems to have been stimulated by his experiments with drum machines, synthesizers, and sequencers. A bluesy rootsiness still dominates his sound, but around the edges is a new high-tech crispness that provides a welcome edge to his lazy drawl. --Geoffrey Himes« less
For a man who wrote such rock standards as "After Midnight," "Cocaine," "Call Me the Breeze," and "Magnolia," J.J. Cale maintains a surprisingly low profile. The Oklahoma singer/songwriter pioneered the fluid, laid-back, country-blues shuffles that provided aural blueprints for Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton, but not one of Cale's 12 albums has penetrated the top-40 charts. Guitar Man, Cale's 12th album, is his strongest in a long time for several reasons. He recorded it almost all by himself out in his California desert studio, and his imagination seems to have been stimulated by his experiments with drum machines, synthesizers, and sequencers. A bluesy rootsiness still dominates his sound, but around the edges is a new high-tech crispness that provides a welcome edge to his lazy drawl. --Geoffrey Himes
"Why pay this much for a weak recording when you can get a domestic copy for less. Some of the compositions are a welcome addition to Cale's considerable songbook. Others are not. It is the production that buries this disc. There is an unfortunate reliance on Drum machines throughout. The "beats" prove to be an unwanted distraction to what could have been a strong recording. Cale still has his guitar chops but could have benefited with sticking to his clean strat tone as he is overproduced here as well. Go with anything up to 1980's Shades. After that he began to succumb to ill-fitting production work which eventually began to spoil his recordings. Give this one a pass...Simon"
Scarey initial reaction
Psychman | Toronto, Canada | 07/28/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"When this recording started I was wondering what was wrong with my balance on my system. The production on the first track must have been done by a drummer. Overkill on the drums drowns out an easily overwhelmed voice of the man, JJ Cale. What a relief when the second track reverted to a familiar mix that highlighted Cale's guitar and voice. Really great guitar work on this one, making the title appropriate. However for this fan it's the feel of Cale's recordings that soothes my soul. Great stuff."
We are wilderness too
laid back follower | usa | 09/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Among the sets of songs that JJ cale has put together in recent years, there is not one where he squeezes his creative prowess as he does on "Guitar Man". No bad eggs in this collection. Some songs fundamental for his point of view as artist: IF I Had a Rocket, Nobody Knows or the funny Doctor Told Me, are songs as important as Anyway the Wind Blows. There is also the enigmatic Guitar Man that gives the title: a funny mail exchange to some fellow guitar player? You can find in Miss Ol'St. Louie that delightful travelling mood of some of his songs, and all in all, this is another one of those records of imaginative variations of pure JJ Cale that we love so much.
In Death in the Wilderness he shows concern about environmental issues, knowing, as anyone who has ever wondered where do we come from, that wilderness is a need, also for humans:
"the rabbit, he'll be gone,
the bird will sing no song,
the wolf, the deer, the lion too"
Just add: and the man too, and probably before some of them . We are wilderness too."
JJ Cale is almosr God!
Baljit S. Grewal | Los Angeles CA | 04/22/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Did I mention that I have every recording? God bless America for producing this man. His mission was to blend the blues with rock and take the music to the masses to show them the light. JJ Cale makes album after album of amazing songs."
For Cale fans
Maria Folsom | East Glacier Park, Montana USA | 01/05/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"If you like J.J. Cale, you'll enjoy this. Not his best work but a fine addition to your collection if you're his fan like my husband and I are."