EMOTION & COMMOTION

Seven years passed between BECK's 2003 finale of his techno series, simply titled "Jeff," and his next chapter of returning to no nonsense blues rock with 2010's EMOTION & COMMOTION. If you simply look at BECK's discography you'd be tempted to think he simply took a siesta on some tropical island or had been hanging out with his hot rod collection all that time but during that time BECK opened up for B.B. King, played at the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival, played with Toots and the Maytals and even appeared on American Idol. His most famous endeavor during those years was his sold-out performance at Ronnie Scott's in London which yielded his most popular live album of his career. This is where he met the 21-year old bassist Tal Wilkenfeld who joined him on this release.

EMOTION & COMMOTION is more emotion and less commotion as it's a back to basic kind of album that finds BECK rewinding back a few decades to rediscover the blues rock that fueled his passions in the 1960s and 1970s before he jumped into the world of jazz-fusion and beyond. This album features 10 tracks at a classic album's running time of just over 40 minutes. Although a few originals are included, EMOTION & COMMOTION is primarily an album of cover songs ranging from the 14th century "Corpus Christi Carol" to the Wizard of Oz theme track "Over The Rainbow." Also included - the Screamin' Jay Hawkins classic "I Put A Spell On You," the James Skelton theater tune "Lilac Wine" and even "Nessun Dorma," an opera aria from Giacomo Pucchini. Clearly an eclectic mix but somehow all evened out with a smooth jazz / blues rock approach which makes this one of the mellowest BECK releases.

Despite a varied lineup of three vocalists, two keyboardists, five percussionists and three bassists contributing to various tracks, EMOTION & COMMOTION has a very unified feel with an unfortunate overproduction that give the album a hazy dream-like effect. Despite the return to blues rock, this isn't the gritty no nonsense type of the old days but rather a smoothed out atmospheric type of return. This is basically an easy listening experience with any notions of COMMOTION reserved for the imagination only. Given the 64-piece orchestra, EMOTION & COMMOTION seems more like a classical tribute to various icons of the past with JEFF BECK sitting in on guitar rather than a BECK solo experience. Even the previous techno blues albums showcases BECK's fiery guitar playing. On this one he rarely lets loose and lets the orchestration steal the show.

Despite Trevor Horn handling the production, don't expect anything remotely in the neighborhood of Art of Noise, synthpop Buggles or 80s Yes. This is an album of intricate subdued glissando where notes slowly ooze into others while vocalists and BECK's guitar blues narrate over the atmospheric dominance. While probably my least favorite album in the lengthy JEFF BECK canon, i cannot deny the subtle beauty of this one although i don't personally glean the desired effects. Perhaps not BECK's brightest day in the sun but definitely not an album to be missed either. On this one it may appear that BECK has finally gone soft but he proves that this was just one more mere stop on his never-ending blues rock journey as the following "Loud Hailer" would find him return to the foot-stomping guitar heft of his earliest works. Overall not a bad album but this certainly isn't one that takes me where i want to go.