Jeff Beck is one of the guitar world's biggest chameleons. His solo albums and work with groups such as The Yardbirds show his aptitude for molding his personal style to a slew of different genres. Beck has covered everything from proto−metal to electronic fusion since he became famous in the '60s.
Beck's latest album, a recording of a tribute concert to the recently deceased guitar god Les Paul entitled "Jeff Beck Rock 'n' Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul)," is another gem for Beck to add to his eclectic catalogue.
Beck's foray into the rockabilly genre isn't a first, but it is a nice break from albums like "Emotion & Commotion" (2010). Early rockabilly and blues guitarists like Cliff Gallup and Les Paul have always influenced Beck, and he continues to bring his unique aesthetic to the material.
While Paul's style has always been characterized by an underspoken virtuosity, Beck brings his incendiary playing to the forefront. The result is an album that features a bevy of Paul's classic tracks with a new, different edge.
Anyone who listens to "Bye Bye Blues" will realize how readily Beck's playing transfers to these rockabilly tunes. Singer Imelda May lends suitably nostalgic guest vocals in rockabilly tradition, singing live over her pre−recorded backing tracks. Beck's idiosyncratic phrasing gels with the track, fusing his more modern approach with a traditional song form to make an interesting hybrid that will definitely appeal to new listeners as well as rockabilly fans.
At 20 tracks, "Jeff Beck Rock 'n' Roll Party" is a longer−than−usual listening experience, but the short songs keep the album flowing. Beck and his phenomenal tribute band cover Paul's hits like "The World is Waiting for Sunrise," "How High the Moon" and "Vaya con Dios" with remarkable precision.
Support from Beck's phenomenal backup band, which includes keyboardist Jason Rebello and saxophonist Leo Green, makes the songs even more charged than their original versions. A particularly lively rendition of "New Orleans" allows Green to explore the high range of saxophone to explosive effect.
Even though Beck can play in the rockabilly genre with remarkable adeptness, he still sounds best when he plays closer to his native style. When Beck puts down the Gibsons in favor of his signature Fender Stratocaster, he immediately takes on the edgy, challenging style he is known for. Tracks like "Walking in the Sand" and "Please Mr. Jailor" show Beck playing with his characteristically jaunty style. His biting, angular phrases cut through the horn sections and the vocals with equal force.
Beck's opening solo on "Walking in the Sand" bends notes and runs virtuosic licks over an anthemic chord progression. May's confident vocal entrance shifts the mood of the song slightly before an uproarious climax. A blaring horn section mixes with May's impassioned vocals and Beck's aggressive playing to make "Walking in the Sand" one of the album's strongest tracks.
The secret to the success of "Jeff Beck Rock 'n' Roll Party" is Beck's ability to pay tribute to Les Paul without trying to impersonate him. This feat allows Beck to sidestep one of the biggest pitfalls of tribute concerts: redundancy. If an artist is legendary enough to warrant a tribute concert, it usually takes an equally talented figure to present that legend in a new light.
In that sense, Beck succeeds remarkably well.
Throughout "Jeff Beck Rock 'n' Roll Party," Beck manages to blend his talent with Les Paul's more traditional playing. Despite the considerable differences between Beck's and Paul's approaches to guitar playing, this album proves that Beck's devotion to his predecessors has made him more than worthy of paying tribute to them.
