Ace, Jack, & King: Simply Thrilling!

Eli Cooks new album takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of the Blues. The young Blues Master performs Skip James, Charles Brown, Reverend Gary Davis, and gives a nod to Nick Drake. His nine original compositions fit seamlessly into the vintage material. Cooks music is authentic, and the historical currents in its bloodstream are beautifully transfused.. He so deeply understands the nature of Country Blues that he brings it from its earliest rambles into its own, then artfully extends beyond, to the dazzling edges of the genre.  With all the cards on the table Ace, Jack & King is a winning hand, dealt from a 12-Bar deck, sometimes spare and rudimentary, and  other times volcanic when Cook launches musically to the far reaches of the Blues.

     Brian Boogie Thomas (bass), Wade Warfield (Drums) and Wavorly Milor (Harmonica) provide outstanding studio back-up. 

     Largely performed on acoustic guitar, Cooks slide technique belongs to the best. In fact, with this fifth album one may ask:  Who is Eric Clapton, Chris Rea, or Johnny Winters?  The CD is simply thrilling!   The sequence of songs in the track list has been chosen with purpose and cunning.  The opening song,

Death Rattle, is a loose, steamy, rocking display of but one side of Cooks talents.  In the background Milors harp howls to the rumbling rhythm of Warfields driving drums and Cooks psychedelic guitar, whilst Cook sings its story.  The album concludes with a different version of the same song, Death Rattle (Slight Return).  Longer than the Opener, Cook discards the bottleneck slide, abandons the Blues Rock sound, relies on the heat of a razor sharp Wah Wah , and becomes a wizard of the creative modern electric guitar.

       Skip James Catfish Blues gets more a Melodic treatment.  Played on the acoustic guitar, Warfields bass drum and clamp ring add dynamics.  The piece has atmosphere!  For Crow Jane, the second James composition, Cook shoulders a Strat loaded with distortion, Warfield lets loose on a full cannonade of drums, and Milors harp returns to the fray, producing Elis signature Grunge Blues sound.  Highlight!

     Cooks original compositions are beautifully interwoven into the list of cover songs.  Of the two Groove-pieces, Suicide King and  Better Man, the latter is superior.  The low gutteral timbre of Cooks voice sounds as if the twenty-five year old has traveled the world of Blues for decades.  Afrossippi Breakdown is a piece of solo Americana , and it's always wonderful to hear how well he, even without a slide, can play guitar.  Oh man, there is yet another number that gives me goose bumps when I hear it: Driftin.

 

Every track on Ace, Jack & King is a trump, because no other Blues artist today can match Eli Cooks hand.  The booklet is as economical as its Country Blues and contains only the most important information.  The album is in every way a 12-Bar. Premium Product.--Joachim Joe Brookes, Rocktimes, Germany
                                                                                     http://www.rocktimes.de/gesamt/c/eli_cook/ace_jack_and_king.html

Ace, Jack, & King--Track by track Review!

While Eli Cook is billed essentially as a blues artist, his music goes a lot further than just the blues. You are likely to hear stoner rock here along with psychedelia and other forms of music. Of course, it’s all delivered with a real foot in the blues.

Track by Track Review

Death Rattle As this comes in, it feels like a cross between a slide blues sound and space rock. It drops back after the introduction, though, to a percussion dominated old-school blues jam that’s quite tasty and rather unique. As it continues it somehow wanders closer to a modern rock territory while still retaining the blues.

Better Man This is a fairly short cut that s closer to a pure old school blues approach. It is a good tune, but not as interesting or adventurous as the opener.

Please, Please Coming in stripped down with just guitar serving as the backdrop for the vocals, this is seriously an old-time blues treatment.

Snake Charm Here’s a real change of pace. Imagine Clutch jamming with some serious blues artist. You’ll have a good idea of what this number sounds like. It’s definitely in a modern hard rock (almost stoner metal) genre, but the real blues is not forsaken by any means.

Catfish Blues There’s definitely a down home texture to this blues number. It has got modern production concepts and some modern elements in play, but overall really feels old school.

Draggin  My Dogs Bouncy and fun, this combines an old school blues sound with a modern alternative rock element. It’s a lot of fun.

Afrossippi Breakdown Acoustic guitar and vocals make up the concept of this old school blues tune.

Sugar and Rain There’s definitely more of a modern alternative rock texture to this piece, but it still retains plenty of blues.

Driftin Slow moving, hard-edged blues is on hand here. There’s a lot of rock in the mix, too, but this overall a fairly mellow tune.

Cocaine Blues This cut is delivered in a real back porch, old time blues arrangement.

Crowjane Here is another that calls to mind Clutch just a bit. It’s also rather like some of the really bluesy hard edged tunes Led Zeppelin used to do. It’s a killer track.

Suicide King The comparisons to Led Zeppelin are even more appropriate here with this feeling like something from the third album on the early sections. It works out from there into an almost space rock meets jam band approach at points. It still returns to the mellower modes as it continues. The chorus section feels a bit repetitive.

Black Eyed Dog There is really not a lot of blues here. This is sort like a mellow psychedelic jam that feels like something Jefferson Airplane would have done. It gets turned into an energized jam from there and Led Zeppelin (or more specifically Page and Plant) become more the order of the day. But it makes it back to the mellower section that at times also makes me think of The Doors The End.

Death Rattle (Slight Return) The opening cut is given a real rock treatment on a version that’s part Clutch and part Stone Temple Pilots. Review by Gary Hill  http://www.musicstreetjournal.com/index_cdreviews_display.cfm?id=103164 Music Street Journal