CD Review
Chris Beard
Live Wire
(NorthernBlues NBM0028)
by Tim Holek
Review date: July 2005
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"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by The Blues Foundation
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The word prince means a non-reigning male member of a sovereign family. If you think of a prince, you’ll think of lavishness. Prince Of The Blues is a fitting moniker for Rochester, New York’s Chris Beard. He is the son of blues guitarist Joe Beard, and was raised on Motown, Stax and plenty of rock music. The prince picked up the guitar at age five, and by 15 was working steadily in Cameo. He freely admits, “My blues has the modern feel of soul, funk, and rock. I never stray away from the blues too much, it is always at the foundation.” His third CD contains 73 minutes that is equal in live and studio cuts. Beard handles lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and vocals. Additionally, he contributes five originals, but the superior songs are covers by Chris Cain, Dennis Walker, Luther Allison, and Lucky Peterson.
There appears to be intense energy present on the live recordings, but audio alone can’t capture it. Beard takes the stage on “Born To Play The Blues” with his screaming guitar. It becomes brazen and uncontrolled. He needs time to learn to control his power. “Tribute to Luther Allison – part 1” begins with a sizzling four-minute guitar solo where Beard is backed by his band. The solo pays homage to Allison and B.B. King. The consistency of this live song, and others, is ruined due to being broken into multiple parts. As if taken from a live radio broadcast, where the commercials have been edited out, the live tracks end abruptly. “Its Over – part 3” is a prime example. This “song” is simply a two-minute bass solo that disappears into oblivion. A high point exists on “Caught Up.” You won’t find finer contemporary blues than this. Instead of featuring Beard’s now all too common in-your-face guitar, the band is showcased. On this song, and a couple others, Alan Murphy’s keyboards are out of the ordinary. The studio recordings carry substance. The aggression and uncontrollable force from the live cuts is left behind. The result is the band performs like a unit. The songs, arrangements, vocals, and production are all top-quality in the studio. “Street Of Broken Dreams” is a deep soul/funk song with commendable horns. The dramatic “Never Felt No Blues” contains a sentiment we have all experienced whether it has been brought on by partners, jobs, or kids. “Lock My Dreams” is a modern soul classic. The best song, the Joe Louis Walker-style “Can’t Walk Away,” contains rhythm that oozes like oil.
Essentially Live Wire is a tale of two tales. The live material lacks essence, and contains inadequate sound quality. The pulsating studio tracks leave you feeling Beard is stronger in the studio than on the stage. Beard is capable of better music than the material contained here.
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