Yet another Precious Little review...

[Jyqm]

My copy arrived in the mail earlier this afternoon, so of course I immediately ripped it open and put it on while I made lunch. I've only listened to it the once, so these are my very first impressions, which likely will change with repeated listenings:

First, I'll say that Bluestown is a good company, and they were very quick (and friendly) in responding to my e-mail and sending me the CD. However, I wish they would have used an envelope with a bit more reinforcement: my jewel case is cracked in a few places. You know how rough & tumble those postal workers can be...

Second, I have to say that Jeremy looks great on the cover and in all the photos inside: healthy and happy! And I really enjoyed his reflections in the liner notes.

Okay, onto the album! The first thing I was struck by was Jeremy's voice - same as it ever was, at least in his old lighter moments. He doesn't howl anything here like he used to do on "Tiger" or "Stranger Blues," but his voice is in top form and still immediately recognizable as the same one we heard on the very first track of that very first Fleetwood Mac album: "Hellhound On My Trail." His singing is really a highlight throughout.

I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed by the first half of the album. Perhaps this is simply because I missed Jeremy's old ferocity, and it took me a few tracks to get used to this more "mellow" sound. That aside, though, I felt that too many of the songs on the first half of the album played it a bit too safe, hewing too closely to a kind of "blues lite" sound that I don't really enjoy. It all sounds a bit too restrained and polished, although the musicianship is quite good. (And I must admit, I was really hoping "Dr. J" would be Jeremy's ode to a basketball hero...) Perhaps these feelings will change with further listening, though. I do like "It Hurts Me Too" quite a bit.

But at any rate, whatever reservations I had about the album's first "side" were completely washed away by the time I reached "Bleeding Heart." This track is just smoldering, exactly the kind of sound I was hoping for with this album. Jeremy's singing almost seethes. This song really sets the tone for the entire latter half of the album, which I think is uniformly wonderful. There's a not a weak track among those last six, and the variety of the music really showcases Jeremy's diversity and ability to adapt to different forms of the blues.

"Many Sparrows" and "Trouble And Woe" really highlight what a great songwriter Jeremy is, and they form a great little old school blues trilogy with "Bleeding Heart," although all three songs tackle a different style.

"Maria de Santiago" is truly beautiful. With its Latin flavor it almost sounds like a Peter Green composition. The thought of those two performing this one together kind of makes my mouth water...

"Take And Give" is a great little ditty. Jeremy really goes back to his Kiln House days for this one, even throwing in some voal hiccups. Fun stuff.

"Precious Little" makes for a very pretty album closer. It really reminds me of Dire Straits. Jeremy sings in something of a Mark Knopfler mode, too. Beautiful ballad.

I haven't really mentioned much about the playing. What can you say about Jeremy's slide guitar? He's still in top form, and though he doesn't rock out as hard as he used to on any of these tracks, he still gets a really hot sound on the more low-key material. His playing is simply classic. And he's got some great musicians behind him, too, particularly the guitarist and pianist. The band really complements Jeremy's playing. I hope he decides to go out on the road with them, at least around Europe.

Thanks for this album, Jeremy! It's really a treat!

Edit: Second impressions

Just listened to the album a second time and, as expected, I don't find the first side as weak as I initially thought. "Bitter Lemon" is a really nice, laid-back opener, with a great vocal by Jeremy and some catchy jazz piano licks. As I mentioned before, I really like "It Hurts Me Too." And "Serene Serena" really sneaks up on you, a very sweet acoustic ballad, again with some nice piano lurking in the background.

So my songs-I-don't-really-care-for list is down to three: "Psychic Waste" (musically it's not terrible, but I find the sentiment more than a little misguided), "Please Don't Stop" and "Dr. J." The latter two are plagued by the "blues lite" sound I mentioned earlier. I can imagine both of these songs really having teeth if Jeremy had performed them back in the day with Fleetwood Mac, but here they seem to kind of limp along.

Again, I'm still really impressed by how good Jeremy's voice is after all these years, particularly in comparison to some other Fleetwood Mac members, like Peter and Stevie. Even Lindsey has lost quite a bit of his upper register with age, but Jeremy's still got that great airy quality in his voice.