The album opens with “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers,” a song recorded by Jeff Beck and included on his 1975 record Blow By Blow, but written by Stevie Wonder, and actually first recorded by Syreeta Wright in 1974. Syreeta’s version features lyrics, but the better known Jeff Beck version is an instrumental track, and so one that seems a perfect choice to begin this album. On this track, Jake Shimabukuro and Mick Fleetwood are joined by special guest Sonny Landreth, who delivers some excellent work on guitar. And Jake’s plugged-in ukulele has an electric guitar feel itself. There is a strong beauty to this track. I love the way this one pulls us along, like a glorious blues river. They follow that with “Rollin’ N Tumblin’,” which rolls in with a tremendous rumble and force, the solid thumping of the drums becoming our own pulse. This is a great rendition, taking the blues standard into some psychedelic territory. Jake Shimabukuro’s ukulele work is powerful, with a fiery breath bursting up from the ground. This is something special, no question.
“Need Your Love So Bad” is a song that Fleetwood Mac covered in the band’s early days, releasing it on a single in 1968. Jake Shimabukuro and Mick Fleetwood deliver a cool rendition. Jake’s playing is soulful and moving, and Mick delivers some particularly good work on drums here. On this track, Mark Johnstone is on keys, delivering some delicious work, particularly during that lead in the middle. This track builds in intensity as it reaches its climax. This is one of my personal favorites, and it’s followed by another of the album’s highlights, “Kula Blues,” the one original composition of the album. It’s a fun blues rock number featuring a good bass line. This one is certain to bring a smile to your face, and get your toes tapping. It has that kind of rhythm, one you can sway to, or even spin a partner around on the dance floor to. This track also features some really nice stuff on keys. But it is Jake Shimabukuro who really impresses us here, delivering some fantastic work.
“A White Shade Of Pale” is a song I’ve loved since I first heard it in my childhood. This beautiful song by Procol Harum never fails to move me. I’ve always thought the lyrics played a big part in this song’s effect on me, creating that mood, but this instrumental rendition is just as moving, just as beautiful. Jake Shimabukuro’s work moves us the same way a human voice does, reaching into us, and then lifting us. This is absolutely wonderful. Then “I Wanna Get Funky” eases in, creating an interesting atmosphere, and there is a bit of a psychedelic influence heard in those opening moments. After a brief pause, the song kicks in, that funky bluesy gem that Albert King gave us in the mid-1970s. The song features a steady groove, with Jake’s ukulele flying above it, at times drilling holes in the sky. That’s followed by a cover of Gary Moore’s “Still Got The Blues,” which was the title track to his 1990 album. This is a perfect choice for this album, particularly if we think of the song’s main line, “It was so long ago, but I’ve still got the blues for you,” because certainly Mick Fleetwood still has blues to give us. This track has some great peaks and valleys, Jake Shimabukuro driving us to those peaks with his playing. This track also features some good stuff by Michael Grande on keys.
Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World” seems like a good choice of songs at this unfortunate moment in our country’s history. Things are undoubtedly going to get really bad out there very soon, and what’s worse is that half of the country will celebrate the pain and despair (after all, they voted for the asshole). This song comes on with a strong force, and there is a great bite to it. Will we still keep rocking? You bet! This track seems able to drive us right through the chaos, maybe even unscathed. The album concludes with a Fleetwood Mac song, though not one from the blues days. Rather it is one of the songs featured on that remarkable album Rumours, “Songbird,” written by Christine McVie. The version here is obviously quite a bit different. For one thing, it begins with drums, a cool, mesmerizing beat. Once it is established, Jake Shimabukuro comes in and delivers some absolutely beautiful work. This is another special track.
CD Track List
- Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers
- Rollin’ N Tumblin’
- Need Your Love So Bad
- Kula Blues
- A White Shade Of Pale
- I Wanna Get Funky
- Still Got The Blues
- Rockin’ In The Free World
- Songbird
Blues Experience was released on October 18, 2024 on Forty Below Records. This album was also released on vinyl, though the vinyl version is missing “I Wanna Get Funky.”
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