Capturing a homecoming gig for the conquering hero,
Live at Grossman's 1994 finds blues-rocker
Jeff Healey returning to a favorite club. Looking back, it’s easy to see that
Healey was between stages: his most popular albums were just behind him and the years of him carving out a niche as a working bluesman who dabbled in jazz were ahead of him. Here, he was performing with the velocity and volume of a blues-rocker at his peak, invigorated by an intimate setting where he could just play, not worrying about throwing in “Angel Eyes” or “I Think I Love You Too Much.” The result is a set where he salutes his idols --
Clapton,
Elmore James,
Albert King,
Howlin’ Wolf,
Hendrix, even
the Beatles via an excellent “Yer Blues” -- and it’s one of his purest and best records as a straight-ahead blues-rocker.
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Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi