Risin' With the Blues

Someone needs to tell Ike that he should stop singing... Music is decent though he covers mostly from other more unique bluesmen. His days of singing however should be put to an abrupt halt for the sale of the craft.

I've been an Ike Turner fan since before forever. Between vinyl, CD and mp3 I have well over 200 cuts by Ike and the Kings of Rhythm band. There's a whole body of his work, pre and post Jackie Brenston and Rocket 88, that puts this to shame and that's not even touching on the Ike and Tina years. While the musicianship here is quite good, this album shows why he had a succession of quality vocalists fronting the Kings of Rhythm for all those years. If you are new to Ike, this isn't the place to start appreciating his great talent as an R&B performer.

I purchased this album because as a musician Ike Turner is one of the cornerstones of R&B. His voice is wonderfully aged and ragged as a man who has led his life should be. His musical skills lack nothing. Even the album cover is great in my opinion, sums it all right up. So if you are a fan of real music, buy the album. If you just come to hate on Ike; go rent the movie.

This is not a review forum on the man's life, and anyway what gives any of you the right to judge the man so harshly? 'Good riddance'? Give me a break. Was he a 'worse person' than Jerry Lee Lewis, who married his 13 year old cousin, or Little Richard, or James Brown... Or David Crosby, Keith Richards, etcetcetc? The short answer is no. Mr.Turner never claimed to be a saint, so don't condemn him for being a human. Ike made a significant contribution the american music. This album is not a masterpeice, in my opinion, but it does show a man of great spirit who wants to share his love of music with everyone. Nothing wrong with THAT.

He may have been a cocain and wife abuser, but he's still an R&B and Rock & Roll legend. This album is a testiment to that. The lyrics are straightforward and modest, frequently alluding to his well publicized past. Musically, its wonderfully complex--a blend of rhythm, blues, jazz, funk, and rock. In his voice you hear both a restless, indignant ex-inmate (Ike was in prison when he and Tina were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), and a lonely, repentant old man. The album's song lineup clashes in wonderfully ways. In "Jesus Loves Me," Ike sounds defensive: "I'm a bad boy, but Jesus love me anyway / As long as Jesus loves me I don't care what nobody say." Then, in the following song "A Love Like Yours," he opens up, admits his wrongs, and exposes a soft inner core: "I broke your heart and I made you blue / Instead of hurting back you said 'I love you' / And everyday you won my heart / And my love for you will never part / Because you have such an understanding way / And I appreciate you, believe me when I say..." Believe him or not, you can't deny that this is a great album.