Jeff Beck’s tribute to Les Paul was a bit of an odd fit in this past edition of the Grammy’s. This is mostly due to the fact that, well, Beck is talented. Now before you get your panties in a bunch, calling me an elitist so-and-so, I don’t mean the talent that someone like Lady Gaga or Beyonce have in putting together some tasty pop cuts. I mean the musicians talent; for Jeff Beck is truly a musician’s musician. His virtuoso skill with the guitar (note: what teenage metal heads don’t understand about guitar) is head and shoulders above his contemporaries and he easily earns a place beside the greats: Les Paul, John McLaughlin, Django Reinhardt to name a few. That is why it felt totally out of place on the mainstream, televised portion of the awards show. But this just goes to show you that despite what us (err, I mean you ) elitists say, sometimes pure talent is just recognized by the masses for what it is. After all, the man can pretty much do anything with a guitar, and for his new album Emotion and Commotion, he decides to make it sing.
Grabbing a handful of, now standard, pieces to interpret, Beck’s guitar is a skillful, graceful and feverish as ever. In this sense, it is impossible to judge the album in normal terms. No matter what way you look at this, it’s a Jeff Beck release, so the primary concern for the listener is how the guitar sounds. It’s awesome, as usual, so ultimately this is an album worth getting. The arrangements are certainly well thought out and the flow of the record is impeccable, but certain issues bog parts of it down. For one thing, opener “Corpus Christi Carol” strips away the intimate, communal feel of the traditional hymn and drenches it in syrupy orchestra arrangements. It is a curiously odd choice from a musician who normally holds such great taste. Despite good intentions, “Nessun Dorma” falls into the same traps. However, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Elegy For Dunkirk” take a similar route to much, much better effect. The slide guitar literally sings as if a human voice at times and the result is truly beautiful and as a result the orchestral backing does not feel so dishonest.
“Serene” and “Never Alone” feel like Pat Metheny tracks, if Pat Metheny knew how to rock the *** out sometimes (oh, and that’s a good thing). They also add a somewhat exotic feel to these eclectic and adventurous range of songs. The perennially unheralded “Lilac Wine” is a fine interpretation that sounds a little bit too much like Jeff Buckley’s before the guitar solo kicks in halfway through. Still the show stopper of the bunch is without a doubt “I Put A Spell on You” and interestingly enough it isn’t because of Beck. Though his guitar work is also great, Joss Stone’s sultry, aggressive vocal delivery adds a much needed edge to Emotion and Commotion. In the end, fans of Jeff Beck will like this result. It isn’t the guitar hero’s best, for sure, but it is worthy addition to his canon. It’s guitar virtuosity at possibly it’s most subdued and graceful. Beautiful passages of classical, soul and rock are infused with a jazz sensibility for improvisation. Unfortunately the album art is pretty terrible, though.
