Charles Brown Albums (23)
'Alone at the Piano'
Release Date 1/13/2004
Tracks 13
Label Savoy Jazz
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
As one of the finest and most distinctive artists in West Coast blues, Charles Brown was always best served by performing with a small ensemble that complemented his low-key artistry rather than drowning it out, and this disc takes that notion and extends it to its logical conclusion by serving up Brown all by his lonesome, with no band to get in the way. Alone at the Piano was compiled from several sessions recorded for radio broadcasts and featuring Brown performing old standards (and a few familiar numbers from his repertoire) solo, with just his piano for accompaniment. While the fidelity of these recordings is variable (never bad, but sometimes not as good as you'd wish) and the one-take-live performances contain a few minor flubs, for the most part this disc is a collection of successful experiments; these sessions capture Brown as a jazz-accented balladeer (not a great stretch from his usual style, but this is notably less of a purist's blues set than one usually hears from Brown), and his takes on vintage chestnuts like "Cottage for Sale" and "Get Yourself Another Fool" are a joy to hear. The delicacy of these performances also allows Brown's vocals to curl around the melodies with a supple grace, and his piano work adds just the right amount of flourish to the tunes; if these aren't necessarily the definitive interpretations of these songs, at the very least they allow one to appreciate the nooks and crannies of his style without the often ill-advised accompaniment of the pickup bands that usually backed him prior to his creative rebirth with One More for the Road. A treasure for fans, and a treat for anyone who loves a great song well sung. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'A Life in the Blues'
Release Date 11/18/2003
Tracks 23
Label Rounder
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
While more than a few notable blues artists enjoyed late-life comebacks after years of inactivity, Charles Brown was one of the few whose second run of success was arguably more satisfying than the salad days of his youth. Brown's work in the 1940s with Johnny Moore & His Three Blazers and the solo sessions that followed resulted in a number of truly classic sides, but when Brown began actively recording again in the late '80s, his skills as a pianist were as keen as ever (and he obviously relished the opportunity to flesh out his solos in ways he couldn't under the constraints of the 78-rpm recording format), and the patina of age added a greater resonance and gravity to his vocals, which still boasted the smooth fire of a snifter of fine brandy. In the spring of 1990, Brown's comeback was moving into full swing and he was about to record his superb All My Life album when he played an engagement at New York City's Lone Star Roadhouse. A Japanese television network had arranged to record one of Brown's sets for later broadcast, using an experimental high-definition video system coupled with a multi-track digital audio setup, and A Life in the Blues is a CD/DVD package that allows this material to be seen and heard in the United States for the first time. Brown and his group are in nothing less than exemplary form in this recording; Brown was always a master of smooth, jazz-influenced "supper club" blues, but for all his refinement this set finds him drawing a remarkable amount of emotional heat from these tunes, and his elegant but inventive piano work leaves no doubt he was a master of his instrument. Danny Caron, Brown's guitarist and musical director, is as always a great foil for Brown's musical ideas, and if the DVD shows him mugging just a shade too much during his solos, given how well he performs with Brown, this can surely be forgiven. And the rhythm section of Earl May and Keith Copeland are perfectly simpatico, knowing when to add color and when to simply lend body to the arrangements. The CD and DVD both feature Brown's ten-song set in its entirety, while the DVD also includes two rare "Soundies" (shot in 1945) of Brown performing as part of the Three Blazers with vocalist John Shadrack Horace, two excerpts from an extensive interview with Brown, a gallery of still photos, and a heroically researched Charles Brown discography. The icing on the cake is the thick accompanying booklet, stuffed with photos, a remembrance from Brown's friend and touring partner Bonnie Raitt, and a marvelously detailed biographical essay from Chip Deffaa. The title A Life in the Blues is just a bit of a cheat -- while it suggests a career overview, this could be more accurately described as "One Night in a Life in the Blues." But it was a fine, fine night indeed, and those who love Charles Brown's music (or want to introduce themselves to his work) will revel in this audiovisual tribute to a master returning to the stage at the peak of his form. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'In a Grand Style'
Release Date 7/20/1999
Tracks 10
Label Bullseye Blues
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This posthumously released material -- mostly classic and classy love songs -- puts an exclamation point on the career of a true American music legend, a legitimate grand master in more ways than one. It is not, as the back cover states, a "solo piano album." Charles Brown does, in fact, sing on all the cuts save one, but there's no rhythm section or soloist to help. It's simply Charles Brown, all soulful, with light-colored blues, gently swinging but by himself. There are classics like "Black Night," "Stumbled and Fell in Love," the curious "One Never Knows, Does One?" and Little Walter's slightly raucous "Give Me a Woman." Brown's classical background on "Charles' Chopin Liszt" unleashes a cascading, tinkling, arpeggiated side rarely heard. Other intros also showcase this part of Brown's musicianship. Everything on the record, except for "Liszt," is a slow, cigarette-type smoldering blues that is sometimes downhearted, other times hopeful. But the lyrics of Brown's original "Wouldn't It Be Grand" speaks volumes about his hope for our future: "Wouldn't that be grand, if and when we die, we unite together in the sky/Get together, take our stand, glory land/Wouldn't that be grand." ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Like his previous two efforts for Verve, These Blues and Honey Dripper, So Goes Love doesn't really offer anything new from Charles Brown, but that' hardly a bad thing. Again, he serves up a collection of appealing, laidback blues that often drifts into jazz territory. The repertoire is a tad too predictable ("Stormy Monday," "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child"), but the performances are so lovely that there's no reason to complain. So Goes Love is hardly the first album to pick up if you're beginning a Brown collection, but once you've been introduced to his charms, it's quite welcome. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
"Soothing" is not a word normally associated with blues, but its the word that best captures the experience of listening to Charles Brown, and Honey Dripper is no exception. Listening to it is like sipping a fine bottle of cognac. Seventy-two years old at the time of this recording session, Brown sounds agile, almost ageless. Indeed, time seems to stand still when he plays and sings in that same understated, urbane manner he popularized with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers back in the 1940s. Like his other recordings this decade, Honey Dripper features Brown's regular working combo, led by guitarist Danny Caron and including saxophonist Clifford Solomon. The songs range from straight-ahead blues to jazz ballads, with some straddling the line. ~ Steve Hoffman, All Music Guide
'Walkin' in Circles'
Release Date 11/27/1995
Tracks 19
Label Night Train
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Cool Christmas Blues'
Release Date 10/7/1994
Tracks 11
Label Bullseye Blues
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Long recognized as the perennial top contender when it comes to Yuletide R&B, Brown salutes the holiday season in his own inimitable manner. Naturally, there's the umpteenth remake of his seminal "Merry Christmas Baby," along with several more that he's been crooning every December since before most of us were born. But nobody does 'em better. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
More 1963-1964 Mainstream sides with some duplication -- the first six tracks here also appear on the DCC compilation. Tracks 7-16 find Brown surrounded by strings as he smoothly intones "Pledging My Love," "Blueberry Hill," and "Cottage for Sale" (they didn't even let him sit down at the keyboard at all for these dates!). ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide
