Saturday, April 11, 2020

David Blue - Cupid's Arrow (1976 us, great blend of country bluesy smooth classic rock, 2006 reissue)



Singer/songwriter David Blue has tended to be well supported by talented studio musicians on his string of albums, of which this is the seventh in ten years. Here, he boasts a backup band as good as any he has used in the past: Jesse Ed Davis on lead guitar, producer Barry Goldberg on piano and organ, Auburn Burrell on pedal steel and rhythm guitar, Donald "Duck" Dunn of Booker T. & the MG's on bass, and Levon Helm of the Band (or Michael Baird) on drums, with David Lindley adding mandolin, slide guitar, and violin. 

The playing gives him more of a rock sound than he has used before, although the musicians are versatile enough to give the leadoff track, "Run, Run, Run," a lilting Southwestern/Mexican feel to go along with its lyrics about the Santa Ana winds and the lights of Santa Fe, and to negotiate a reggae rhythm on "Maria, Maria." More typical, however, is "Tom's Song," a sinuous rocker that recalls the Eagles' "One of These Nights." But as the musical content of Blue's records has become more accessible and accomplished, his songwriting has tended to take more of a backseat, and his monotonic singing has remained only adequate. Here, the songs have interesting lines as they tell their tales of love and loss, but they are not as effective on the whole as Blue's earlier work. 
by William Ruhlmann
Tracks
1. Run Run Run - 4:34
2. The Ballad Of Jennifer Lee - 4:23
3. Tom's Song - 4:11
4. I Feel Bad - 2:32
5. Cordelia - 4:34
6. Maria, Maria - 4:02
7. Cupid's Arrow - 4:11
8. Primeval Tune - 5:18
9. She's Got You - 4:47
All songs by David Blue

Musicians
*David Blue - Guitar, Vocals
*Michael Baird - Drums
*Pattie Brooks - Vocals
*Phyllis Brown - Vocals
*Auburn Burrell - Guitar
*Jesse Ed Davis - Guitar
*Donald "Duck" Dunn - Bass
*Barry Goldberg - Keyboards,
*Levon Helm - Drums
*David Lindley - Guitar, Mandolin, Slide Guitar, Violin
*Jackie Lomax - Vocals
*Bill Schwartz - Vocals

1965-66  David Blue - David Blue / Singer Songwriter Project (2001 remaster)
1968  David Blue ‎- These 23 Days In September (2007 reissue) 
1969  David Blue - Me, S. David Cohen (2007 edition)
1972  David Blue - Stories (2006 edition)
1973  David Blue - Nice Baby And The Angel (2006 issue)
1975  David Blue ‎- Com'n Back For More (2006 release)

Free Text
Text Host