Jon Bonamassa
Les Paul and Friends: A Tribute To A Legend
Immergent
10/10
Les Paul is a legend. Period. He pioneered the electric guitar, invented the world’s first eight-track cassette recorder, hosted a radio show in the 1950s and basically served as the midwife of what would later become rock and roll (or at least, rock and roll as our parents and grandparents remember it). Without him, the rockabilly, punk rock, new wave, and grunge movements would never have happened. So it is fitting that a bevy of music’s most gifted lights would pay tribute to their godfather, and like most star-studded events, Les Paul and Friends: A Tribute To A Legend is a class-act.
The 10-track album, covering the greatest hits in rock, blues, and soul features Richie Sambora, Slash, and several other rock gods (and goddesses). It grabs the ears and doesn’t let go from the first notes to the last. “The Good Luck You’re Having,” featuring Joe Bonamassa is a classic fusion of rock and blues, mixing Bonamassa’s gift with the six-string with his powerful, Stevie Ray Vaughn–like voice. Lisa Fischer’s soulful voice on the soulfullicious “Slippin’ into Darkness” bring to mind the best of The Temptations, Sly and the Family Stone, and Marvin Gaye. Such eclecticism isn’t foreign to tribute albums. But rather than being cloy or cute, as with many so-called “tribute” albums, there is symmetry with each of the tracks that allow them to complement each other in a unique and mellifluous way.
As with any compilation album, some tracks stand out more than others. Johnny Rzeznik’s pitch perfect tribute to U2 on “All I Want is You” sounds less like a homage and more like a missing b-side off of the “Rattle and Hum” album. Joan Osborne’s take on “I Don’t Want To Be With Nobody But You” is nothing short of breath-taking. And so on and on and on. That’s how good this record is. Paul, who co-produced the album, wasted no time in putting together what is a rich and satisfying album. In fact, it may be too rich and satisfying.
If it sounds like it is difficult to do a write up of a “perfect 10” album…that’s because it is. Few records are perfect. Of all the so-called “10” albums, I can count only a few of them I know of personally-Rattle and Hum being among them. To that, I add Les Paul and Friends. Take that for what it’s worth. At $16 bucks, this is perhaps the best record that anyone will have the pleasure of listening to this year.
–John Winn