'Emotion & commotion', many artists would burn you off on such a sticky title. But this is an album by Jeff Beck (his first in seven years), the guitarist who has had an impeccable track record since the 1960s. An honest person who is always modest in dealing with the endless admiration of fans and colleagues and who loves to tinker with cars as much as to play the guitar. Emotion & Commotion
… seems to have originated from the still raging success of his performances (released on DVD) at the London Ronnie Scott's Club. Emotion can mainly be heard in a number of orchestral guitar ballads, such as an adaptation of Over The Rainbow in which Beck shines with his virtuoso (but never showy) playing and tremolo techniques. His playing remains fragile and transparent, while in Nessun Dorma, for example, the orchestra plays a big role. Singer Joss Stone, among others, provides the necessary commotion, who sings a tormented and expressive version of I Put A Spell On You with her mature soul voice. And so the title still captures the meaning of this great album. (MR)more
