Jack Bruce Albums (17)
What The Critics Say
More Jack Than God is easily the finest studio recording the fabled bassist and singer/songwriter Jack Bruce has made since the 1970s. His outings with Kip Hanrahan and the Golden Palominos have afforded him the luxury of working with many of his collaborators this time out: Robert Ameen, Bernie Worrell, Horacio "El Negro" Hernández, Richie Flores, and most notably new guitarist Vernon Reid. Bruce's son Malcolm is also in the mix. Bruce's songwriting here is top notch. His elongated, ethereal, and funky groove as displayed on the album's opener "So They Invented Race" showcases all of his talents. It is a provocative song, riddled with Worrell's B3 and enough hand percussion to allow Bruce's bass to ride the top of the groove without seeming obtrusive. Reid jumps in on the Latin drenched "Follow the Fire," with its Carnival-esque hand percussion, Reid's restrained power chords, and Bruce's piano playing pushing the rhythm with a series of large chords that frame a melody driven by his bass. "Kelly's Blues" is positive proof that Bruce can write an expressionistic power ballad with the rest of them. His voice rings so pure and true here, writing every ounce of emotion from his lyrics. This band plays like one, not as a group of studio cats signed on for a mercenary project. They have empathy for one another and the mix is very warm and live sounding. And so it goes for the rest of the album of over 14 cuts with a vibe that is deep, earthy, sensual, and hard-hitting. Bruce's words are searing; check out the poetry in "Milonga Too." About the only thing that feels half strange here is the Afro-Cuban percussion saturating a remake of "I Feel Free," but even here, because of the deeply seductive funk in Bruce's bass playing and the blur of Reid's guitar solo over the hand percussion, it too works like a charm and feels like it was written yesterday instead of 35 years ago. More Jack Than God -- an interesting nod to "Clapton is God" from the Cream days -- is one of the more scintillating, fascinating, distinctive, confident, stimulating, and innovative recordings issued by anybody. Why the hell isn't NPR looking at this fine disc as opposed to Bleu's crappy Redhead? Bruce is seriously at the top of his game; seek this one out. Kudos to Sanctuary -- the most compelling label out there right now -- for issuing this one stateside. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Live at the Manchester Free Trade Hall'
Release Date 5/20/2003
Tracks 9
Label Polydor
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What The Critics Say
This double-CD set was one of the unexpected bonuses of the 2001/2002 remastering of Jack Bruce's RSO/Polydor catalog -- amid a search of the vaults, a tape of this performance, the only official live recording of the Jack Bruce Band, was unearthed. They were news to Bruce at the time of their discovery, rough mixes done in contemplation of a concert album that was abandoned. It has its technical problems, but it was possible to clean up most of the sound to a fully professional modern standard, except for a couple of spots where extraneous noise does intrude, especially on the opening of disc two. But those are insignificant flaws in relation to the overall content of these tapes, which capture the band in fine form, especially Bruce, lead guitarist Mick Taylor, and keyboardist Carla Bley -- Ronnie Leahy fills out the keyboard sound and Bruce Gary handles the drumming. Their sound is surprisingly tight and their playing rich and crisp, doing a mix of progressive rock and blues-rock in which there are at least four potential lead instruments beyond Bruce's voice, which is extremely powerful throughout and, indeed, more expressive on-stage than it ever seemed amid the cacophony of Cream's concerts. The repertory is drawn almost entirely from his solo catalog (though they do close with an extended version of "Sunshine of Your Love"), with a special emphasis on songs from Out of the Storm. Though Carla Bley gets a lot of the spotlight for her work on piano, organ, Mellotron, and various other keyboard instruments, Leahy gets an extended featured spot on the piano for the medley of "Tickets to Waterfalls"/"Weird of Hermiston"/"Post War." Although there are a few standard-length songs here, this was a band that mostly preferred to stretch out, a fact illustrated by the presence of only four numbers on the second CD, which runs the better part of an hour. What made it work was that they had enough to say to fill that length, even on the 23-minute "Smiles and Grins," and the otherwise familiar "Sunshine of Your Love," here flexed out to over 13 minutes. They switch gears effortlessly between vocal numbers like "One" and instrumental-driven jams such as "You Burned the Tables on Me," without skipping a beat or letting the listener go. It's difficult to imagine how RSO would have released this recording reasonably intact in its own time -- there are too many tracks here that would have taken up a full side of an LP, and while Leon Russell and a few others had made the triple-live album a reality in rock, one is hard-put to imagine RSO springing for that with Bruce, whose critical notices were fantastic but whose sales -- especially in England -- had never matched his reviews. So perhaps it's just as well that this recording was forgotten but not lost, to show up today. The mix of blues, jazz elements, and hard rock, all in a free-form jam format, now seems all the more bracing and the CD market allows it to be kept intact. It's also doubly fortunate that this show was recorded during the period in which technology had finally mastered the art of capturing the sound of various electronic keyboard devices on-stage intact -- it's a small matter, but fans of the Mellotron will probably love this release. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Jack Bruce's fluid guitar playing buoys this set of mid-tempo, at times Latin-infused, tunes. Some of the songs are new and written by Bruce, and six are toned-down remakes of his classics, "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room" among them. He's joined on various tracks by Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Gary Moore, Vernon Reid, and, for percolating conga rhythms on three tracks, Changuito Luis Quintana. ~ Travis Drageset, All Music Guide
'Sitting on Top of the World'
Release Date 10/31/1997
Tracks 12
Label Times Square
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What The Critics Say
Legendary Cream bassist Jack Bruce celebrates his fiftieth birthday by jamming with a few friends. The second track ("Over The Cliff" ), a three-way instrumental pull between Bruce, Cream power drummer Ginger Baker and Dick Heckstall-Smith on sax, is worth the price of admission. As a rule, the instruments and mean solos come through loud and clear but the vocals often seem more thin. Another highlight is Jack tackling Buddy Guy's "First Time I Met The Blues" adding guitarist Clem Clempson to the trio that just whipped out "Over The Cliff." The Cream rhythm section works out on Howlin' Wolf's "Sittin' On Top of the World" with guitarist Gary Moore. But, check out the following track when Pete Brown helps out for "Politician" then leaves them to take care of Willie Dixon's "Spoonful." For the last cut, everyone jams together on "Sunshine of Your Love." ~ Thomas Schulte, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
"The Boy," track two on Jack Bruce's exquisite CD, Monkjack, has the former blues/hard rocker sounding like John Cale, introspective and ready to tell some tales. The instrumental "Shouldn't We" has the bassist/vocalist from Cream pitting his piano against collaborator Bernie Worrell's Hammond B-3, in a wonderful interplay of keyboard sounds. "David's Harp" has melodies which Aimee Mann toys with, but they are drenched in Bruce's bluesy pop voice, a voice that rules on classic rock radio when "White Room" blasts to break up the tedium of consultant run play lists. A classic voice should be an integral part of classic rock radio, and this jazzy/folksy/all keyboard disc would fit very nicely in that format. The sounds of both the piano and the hammond organ, recorded at Ztudio Zerkal, Germany, by Walter Quintus, are rich and resonant with the skills of a journeyman. Inside the CD case, Bruce peers out from among the buses, and on the front and back cover his face is a photographic negative. There is little information about the recording of this project in the beautiful 16-page booklet which accompanies this package. The music speaks for itself, with just lyrics, credits, pleasant artwork, and colors among the photos. To take each title and critique it would do great injustice to this release -- all the material is grade A. To single out the effectiveness of titles, and show appreciation, that is what is in order here. "Laughing on Music Street" is a melancholy piano piece with Bruce's voice augmented by Hammond B-3 swells which come up at the right moments. The lyrics to this in the booklet are next to a profile of Bruce against a very liquid-looking piano top. Again, John Cale has made a career out of this type of presentation, but Cale goes off onto a dark rampage where Bruce keeps things on a plateau that doesn't go over the edge. "Weird of Hermiston" is the fourth of the new Bruce/Brown compositions here, and it is so very like John Cale, only with that Hammond B3 of Bernie Worrell's oozing in and out rather than a string quartet. "Tightrope" has piano runs holding up a dangling vocal by Bruce -- and it persists, one of four songs over five minutes in length. "Third Degree" would be nice in a private detective film, a moody, jazzy, dramatic piece with chords from the depths. For fans of this legend, a very nice glimpse into the working of his creative mind. For those who want something to listen to while doing other things, Monkjack does not get in the way -- it kind of stays along side of you. A very wonderful selection of compositions by a familiar voice in a different setting. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
'Cities of the Heart'
Release Date 3/28/1994
Tracks 19
Label Creative Music Inc
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What The Critics Say
This nicely packaged two-CD box set presents legendary rock bassist/vocalist/composer Jack Bruce and his very reputable musical associates performing live in Cologne, Germany. Originally touted as a limited-edition double CD upon its release in 1993, the CMP label subsequently witnessed production/distribution problems, yet in 2001 it seemed as though the German fusion/rock record label might commence reissuing some CDs from its impressive back catalog. These two discs intimate an intriguing insight into Bruce's career, other than his well-known affiliation with '60s rock power trio Cream. Here, the artist renders a few soulful ballads, ventures into free jazz territory with saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith and ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker, and also utilizes a brass section for a sprightly R&B rendition of "Born Under a Bad Sign." An added treat here is the teaming of British guitar hero Gary Moore with Bruce and Baker for a series of hard rock-blues pieces culled from the Cream songbook. ~ Glenn Astarita, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Reunited with long-time collaborator Pete Brown, Jack Bruce turns in one of the finest albums of his solo career, with songs that come close to matching the splendor of his work with Cream. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A Question of Time is an album to appreciate, as Jack Bruce nicely wraps his diverse styles up in rock & roll packaging. Willie Dixon's "Blues You Can't Lose" is extraordinary noise, the late Nicky Hopkins bringing his unmistakable piano to a mix of Albert Collins' leads, Jimmy Ripp's slide and rhythms, Bruce's bass, harmonica, and voice, and the strong drumming of Dougie Bowne. In its slow dirge statement, "Blues You Can't Lose" is as powerful as the blistering Bruce tune that opens the set, "Life on Earth." "Make Love" is a great change of pace; the first of eight Pete Brown/Jack Bruce collaborations, it utilizes innovative percussion, subtle keyboards, and -- surprise of surprises -- effects on Bruce's voice. Ginger Baker toured with Bruce at this point in time, and though Bowne is admirable on the epic pop/rock of "No Surrender," it is Baker's contributions to "Hey Now Princess" (with Ripp doing his best Clapton) and his definite drums on "Obsession" (with guitars by Allan Holdsworth and Vivian Campbell) that bring this disc to the Cream level. The transition from "Hey Now Princess" to the Willie Dixon tune is just lovely, while "Obsession" is perfect Disraeli Gears-type music. Tony Willams steps in on the reggae-esque "Kwela," the other Bruce-only composition and, without the Cream drummer on this, Bruce still manages to sound like Ginger Baker's Air Force. Produced by Joe Blaney and Bruce, the song "A Question of Time" is a bizarre, colorful mix of clashing images and sound, while the album A Question of Time is one of the more complete Bruce recordings for those fans who know him from his pop radio hits. It is one of the most accessible discs by rock's premier bassist for both those in his cult and the casual fan. This project uses his mastery of jazz, pop, acoustic, and blues to give listeners what Jack Bruce does best: rock & roll. [The 2007 edition includes one bonus track.] ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
