JEFF HEALEY

SONGS FROM THE ROAD

2010-02-02

This live disc features Jeff Healey working his way through eleven well known cuts that range from blues standards, "I’m Ready", "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Stop Breaking Down", to classic rock, "White Room" and "Whipping Post", folk rock, "Teach Your Children Well" and even a couple of Beatles related tunes, "Come Together" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Throughout, the tracks are propelled by Healey’s fluid guitar chops and rich, emotive voice. While he doesn’t have the vocal grit to be anything other than a decent cover artist on the early blues numbers, and wisely abdicates the microphone to others so as to focus on his smoking guitar riffs on "White Room" and "Whipping Post", his voice is well suited to most of the material here and is spot on for his signature tune, the John Hiatt penned "Angel Eyes". Even though Healey’s recorded output for the several years preceding this release explored other genres, most notably jazz, it is clear that he was never far from the blues rock that first brought him to the international stage. Listen to him cutting heads with BTO’s Randy Bachman on "Hoochie Coochie Man" for a great example of his blues rock prowess. Sadly, Healey passed away from cancer within a year of these recordings. Unless a cache of unreleased material finds its way onto disc, this release will serve as his epitaph. Not a bad way to go out. Smitty