Jeff Healey Albums (11)
What The Critics Say
Appearing almost 18 months after his death, Songs from the Road is the first posthumous disc from Jeff Healey. Collecting highlights from his 2006 performance at Norway's Nottoden Blues Festival, plus 2007 gigs in London and Toronto (the latter at his hometown club, the Jeff Healey Roadhouse), Songs from the Road paints a good portrait of Healey the road warrior, playing old favorites, both of his own and a wide variety of classic rock and blues artists, including Muddy Waters and two from the Beatles. Healey doesn't surprise here, either in repertoire or attack, but he does satisfy, both as a guitarist and an all-around entertainer, making this collection a nice coda to his career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
While Mess of Blues may not be the last Jeff Healey recording we see, it is the one that will be accorded as his epitaph, seeing that it was issued in America a scant two months after his death just three weeks shy of his 42nd birthday. There is no ambulance chasing or grave robbing process involved here. The album is sanctioned; it was set to be issued before he passed away. Healey wrote the liner notes for this date (his first blues release in eight years!), and explained the song choices he made for it. The strange thing when considering all the different recordings he made during his short life is that Healey's career is bookended -- on tape at least -- by blistering electric blues-rock albums. The very genre that established Healey's considerable (and deserved) reputation as a guitarist is also the one that underscored it at the end. Mess of Blues contains ten cuts, all of them chosen by Healey from what he considered "audience favorites," rather than his own or his fine band's preferred tunes. Four of these were recorded in front of audiences at the Islington Academy in London and, appropriately enough, at Healey's Roadhouse (his club) in Toronto. The other six were cut at Studio 92 in Canada by Norm Barker and Richard Uglow. Make no mistake: while this an electric blues record to be sure, the very eclectic selection of tracks also puts the words "blues-rock" in bold print. One example is the scorched earth reading of Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane." But there are others, too: the New Orleans-funked up second-line rhythmic pulse shoved right up against early rockabilly in the version of Hank Williams' "Jambalaya"; the excellent tribute to fellow Canadians (with an American drummer) the Band and songwriter Robbie Robertson with a moving version of "The Weight." This is a nearly reverential interpretation with brief, beautiful guitar fills by Healey and Dan Noordermeer, and brilliant piano work by Dave Murphy. But there are plenty of blues as well. There are the screaming guitar freak-outs on Sonny Thompson's "I'm Torn Down" that opens the disc, and the old-school R&B blues of "Shake, Rattle and Roll," updated by this killer band for the 21st century; Doc Pomus' terrific jump blues-meets-doo wop "Mess O' Blues," and Murphy's roadhouse rocker "It's Only Money," (which he sings). But the greatest moments here are Healey playing the slow, deeply moving electric guitar-drenched "How Blue Can You Get," that begins with a long biting guitar solo, and the classic "Sittin' on Top of the World," that fuses the loping original version's tempo with the rockist one done by Peter Green and the original Fleetwood Mac back in the late '60s. This is a fitting send-off, beautifully recorded and presented by Germany's Ruf imprint (though it is readily available in the United States and Canada) and the only tribute that really counts: a man's next record. Cancer may have gotten Healey in the end, but as evidenced by this CD, he went out like a champ of an artist, still hungry, still restless, still playing his ass off and seeking out the elusive heart of the blues and popular songs he loved in life. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'It's Tight Like That'
Release Date 4/25/2006
Tracks 11
Label Stony Plain
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What The Critics Say
Canadian Jeff Healey burst on the rock scene in the '80s with a unique lap-style electric guitar approach that became codified when he and his band appeared in the movie Road House. Listeners approaching It's Tight Like That expecting more of that trademark blues-rock are going to be mighty surprised, however, because Healey has not only changed the kind of music he plays here, he has even changed the instrument he plays. Oh, he plays some guitar on this new album, but in the past few years Healey has taught himself the trumpet, and that's the dominant instrument here, for It's Tight Like That is an album of classic '20s and '30s jazz. This isn't a passing fad for Healey, either. He's been a vintage jazz buff for years, and has hosted his own jazz show on CBC Radio called My Kind of Jazz for awhile now, and has released two previous jazz albums on his own HealeyOphonic imprint, 2002's Among Friends and 2004's Adventures in Jazzland. Healey still plays occasional shows in the old blues-rock style (he's no fool and knows full well what put him on the map), but most of his gigs are now with the Jazz Wizards, a group which features violin, guitar, piano, bass, and drums, and plenty of Healey on trumpet. It's Tight Like That was recorded with the Jazz Wizards live over two nights at Hugh's Room in Toronto (two additional tracks, "Little Girl" and "Sheik of Araby" were recorded at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2005) with veteran British jazz trombonist Chris Barber sitting in, and the results are an exuberant blast of traditional jazz, with no trace of rock in sight and no slashing electric guitar slide runs, either. It should be noted that while Healey certainly holds his own on trumpet here, he's no Louis Armstrong, but then Healey himself already fully knows that. He's obviously having fun and playing music he loves. Highlights include a lusty take on Sam Coslow and W. Frank Harling's "Sing You Sinners," voiced by Healey, a feisty version of Bessie Smith's "Keep It to Yourself," sung by Terra Hazelton, and an impressive "Basin Street Blues," written by Spencer Williams and made famous by Louis Armstrong. Barber's vocal, which sounds eerily like the vocal style of another pretty darn good trombonist, Jack Teagarden (who turned "Basin Street Blues" into one of his own signature songs), makes it the album's standout track. Who knows if Healey's old blues-rock fan base will follow him over to the jazz side -- a guess would be they won't, since he isn't playing as much guitar -- but he may well pick up a whole new group of fans with this style of upbeat jazz. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
'Live at Montreux 1999'
Release Date 5/2/2005
Tracks 12
Label Eagle Vision
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What The Critics Say
Canada's Jeff Healey burst on the scene in the late '80s with a pair of John Hiatt songs, "Angel Eyes" and "Confidence Man," drawing a good deal of attention for his unique laptop electric guitar style. A turn in the Patrick Swayze movie Roadhouse playing a down-and-dirty version of the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" also boosted Healey's profile, but although the blind guitarist is obviously a special and gifted player, his style and approach haven't changed one bit since, which is a good thing if you love what he does, but it makes most of his releases after the impressive debut album, See the Light, seem a bit like reruns. This live set recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1999 (two tracks, a cover of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and the Healey original "That's What They Say," are from a Montreux appearance two years earlier in 1997) likewise features few surprises, although Healey has added a second guitarist (Philip Sayce for the two 1997 cuts and Pat Rush for the 1999 set) to his longtime rhythm section of Joe Rockman on bass and Tom Stephen on drums. Healey's leads on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" amp the song up in all the right places, and he brings out the inherent heaviness in another Beatles tune, John Lennon's "Yer Blues." He breaks a string in the middle of "Roadhouse Blues," which is a bit like watching a NASCAR driver throw a wheel -- you don't want to see it happen, but it definitely makes things interesting. A chugging version of Robert Johnson's "Stop Breakin' Down" is a clear highlight. In the end, Healey and his band turn out solid, professional blues-rock, the kind of thing you'd expect from a top-notch bar band, and Healey is undeniably exciting as a lead player, but it all seems a bit caught up in a 1980s time warp. It would be nice to hear Healey expand his core sound a little with some soul or funk, say, or maybe go in the other direction and cover the Charley Patton songbook -- anything to add some freshness. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
'Adventures in Jazzland'
Release Date 1/1/2004
Tracks 15
Label Stony Plain
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Jeff Healey's second studio foray into the traditional jazz of the 1920s and '30s is more ambitious than his first (Among Friends, recorded in 2002), and as a result is a more "serious" affair musically, though the same riotous joy is present here. The core of the same players return with bassist Colin Bray, pianist Reide Kaiser, and saxophonist Chris Plock (on both soprano and tenor); newcomers include guitarist Jesse Barksdale, clarinetist Dan Levinson, guitarist Marty Grosz, bass saxophonist Vince Giordano, cornetist Tom Pletcher, and (making appearances on two cuts) violinist Drew Jurecka. Healey's plan here is much more sophisticated than on Among Friends, and this was displayed on his live outing It's Tight Like That with Chris Barber. Healey's guitar playing, while not as wildly solo-conscious as on his blues-rock recordings, is swinging, taut, and precise. He can hang with anyone doing this music. As a trumpet player, he has improved immensely -- check him on the opener, "Bugle Call Rag" -- but try as he might, he is not Jack Teagarden as a vocalist. No problem. Another instrument has been added to Healey's arsenal here in the valve trombone, which he plays on "Emaline" and "Indiana." The sound on this record is notable for its live gritty quality. There is the live presence here that makes it all a seamless party, though the sessions were recorded over a period of time and there is overdubbing. In addition to a stellar band and a killer mix, the tune selection is impeccable, with Elmer Schoebel's "I Never Knew What a Gal Could Do," John Golden and Ray Hubbell's "Poor Butterfly," and the stompers like "Bugle Call Rag" and "You're Driving Me Crazy." All of this said, as fine as this disc is, and it's a winner top to bottom, it makes one long to see this all pulled off live, as Healey has been touring a bit with his Jazz Wizards ensemble. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With 2002's Among Friends, Jeff Healey brought his passion for traditional jazz -- the driving dance band blues-based jazz of the 1920s and early '30s -- into the studio. The album was issued in Canada only and was followed by the live It's Tight Like That with Chris Barber in 2005, and Adventures in Jazzland in 2006. Healey, known widely for his burning, lap style brand of electric blues does play electric guitar here, but he plays far differently than on any of his previous recordings. He also plays his second instrument of choice, the trumpet. And while he may not win any Downbeat polls, it hardly matters to him. His passion for this music is lifelong, and one can hear in his delivery as a singer the influences of everyone from Louis Armstrong to Jack Teagarden, though he is way more raggedy and doesn't have his phrasing down at all. But again, that's just fine for what this is. Among Friends also features trumpeter Dick Sudhalter, trombonists Danny Douglas and Jim Shepherd, saxophonist Chris Plock on both soprano and tenor, and John R.T. Davies on alto, Reide Kaiser on piano, and upright bassist Colin Bray. There are differing ensembles here depending on the material, which ranges from the wild and woolly "Bright Eyes," to Frank Loesser's "I Wish I Were Twins," to Sammy Kahn's "I'll See You in My Dreams," to "Limehouse Blues," to Earl Hines' "Blues in Thirds." Healey's not looking for anything but the feel of the music he loves. It's raw, raucous, fun and there's plenty of soul in his delivery as a vocalist. The jazz snobs would decry this, but Healey's not aiming to please; he's enjoying himself and that's obvious here. That said, his intention is made plain to the listener, and one cannot help but feel the infectious joy that comes from these grooves. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Over ten years into his recording career, singer/guitarist Jeff Healey continues to churn out rockin' blues -- especially on his 2000 release, Get Me Some. Not a lot has changed over the years -- Healey still specializes in a melodic form of blues-rock that would sound perfect on mainstream rock radio -- or in the follow-up to Roadhouse (if Patrick Swayze decided to revisit his ass-kicking Dalton character). The classic Jeff Healey sound/approach can be heard throughout -- especially on such up-tempo ditties as the album-opening "Which One" and "My Life Story," while also taking it down a notch on the Allman Brothers-esque "Macon Georgia Blue" and the guitar/vocal album-closer, "Rachel's Song." Get Me Some is exactly what you'd expect to hear from a new Healey studio album. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
One likes the covers concept espoused by blues-rockers The Jeff Healey Band in a kind of backhanded way: as much as one admires the chops displayed by Toronto's blind guitarist whiz-kid, the group's songwriting is somewhat lyric-challenged. Cover to Cover works to circumvent the combo's main limitations. The disc kicks off in grand style with a dramatic, original instrumental reading of The Yardbird's "Shapes of Things." A pair of Hendrix numbers ("Freedom," "Angel") chalks up to unfortunate typecasting for Healey. Some inclusions (try the Stealer's Wheel chestnut "Stuck in the Middle with You") are bland vanilla throwaways. Still others, namely Spirit's "I Got a Line on You," sends one running back to the original versions. Mind you, if any of these point new listeners in the direction of the original, then a valuable public service has been performed. ~ Roch Parisien, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Third time up for sightless guitar wunderkid Jeff Healey and gang; Feel This offers the power trio's meatiest and most satisfying outing. JHB's brand of roadhouse rock can be somewhat bland on disc; here the group captures much more of its trademark live intensity than in the past. The unobtrusive addition of keyboards adds a more expansive dimension to several tracks. Boogie fans will want to check out the ZZ Top-like "Cruel Little Number"; blues-rockers will come away satisfied with the likes of "House That Love Built." Hip-hop connoisseurs, on the other hand, will likely want to avoid JHB's rap spoof on "If You Can't Feel Anything Else." ~ Roch Parisien, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A solid follow-up to Healey's impressive debut, Hell To Pay features some of the guitarist's hottest playing to date. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
