Jeff Healey - Songs from the Road
by Kevin Wierzbicki
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This is the second posthumous release of Healey's music and as the album's title intimates the set consists of live cuts. There's probably a ton of live stuff available for this type of release but this collection from shows in Toronto and London in 2007 and Norway in 2006 has been cherry-picked to show a different side of Healey, in particular his love for classic rock. Healey has a ball with two old blues songs, Willie Dixon's "I'm Ready" and a raucous take on "Hoochie Coochie Man" where fellow guitarist Randy Bachman (Bachman Turner Overdrive) joins in. "Hoochie Coochie Man" also features the only blues harp action in the set; the scorching harmonica romp goes uncredited in the CD's liner notes but Healey gives a vocal shout-out indicating that the honking is courtesy of keys man Dave Murphy. The bulk of the album is taken up with covers of the Beatles' "Come Together" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," Cream's "White Room" and the Allman Brothers' "Whipping Post;" Healey sticks pretty close to the original arrangements of each song until it's time for the guitar solo and then he takes the opportunity to expand those parts with his unbelievably fluid slide work. For all the guitar showiness though it's not as if Healey hogs the spotlight here; Murphy sings "Whipping Post" and bassist Alec Fraser sings "White Room" and there's not a moment where Healey tries to show up the band. Healey's countrified side comes out on a cover of Graham Nash's "Teach Your Children" and the novel seasonal rockabilly of "Santa, Bring My Baby Back (To Me)" also gives the band a chance to have some fun outside their expected parameters. Healey's biggest hit "Angel Eyes" is included here too and it's performed perfectly but somehow it doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the set; overall though Songs from the Road is a thoughtfully put-together keeper.
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Jeff Healey - Songs from the Road
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