Eric Andersen
Blue Rain
“Vivid and convincing . . . Andersen has produced his best effort in years with a handful of soulful, blues-stained musicians in Norway. 3 ½ stars”
– Greg Quill, Toronto Star, May 4, 2007
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“Andersen's voice seems to have grown richer and has developed more texture over the span of time, something that rarely happens to rock singers; as a result, his readings of familiar lyrics carry more weight. . . To sweeten the blues mix, Andersen is joined by a solid band that never overplays, giving Blue Rain a simple, no-frills approach. . . . Blue Rain is a good place to reacquaint oneself with a fine musician and singer.”
– Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide |
“This earthy, shimmering live release, recorded in Norway, 2006, is quite possibly the bluest of the blue. . . . It's very hard to believe that Blue Rain is Andersen's first full length live album in a career spanning forty plus years. But believe you me, it's a great, great, great place to start.”
– Mike Jurkovic, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange |
“. . . For this live outing, [Andersen] laid aside his 1960s classics like ‘Thirsty Boots’ and ‘Violets of Dawn’ and teamed with a trio of Norwegian blues musicians to reinvent songs from his catalogue like ‘Blue River’ and ‘Sheila’ as blues-based pieces and to take on blues material drawn from Fred Neil and Jimmy Reed. The album’s finest performance is on ‘Trouble in Paris,’ Eric’s tour-de-force song about the gritty underbelly of life in the French metropolis.”
– Mike Regenstreif, Sing Out!, Fall 2007 |
“Eric Andersen’s latest is the first live album of his forty year career, and it’s a stunner. Digging into his blues roots . . . he fronts an excellent Norwegian band led by feisty guitarist Morten Omlid. The set list includes originals such as his classic “Blue River” and “You Can’t Relive the Past,” co-written with Lou Reed. He also tosses off covers by Jimmy Reed and Fred Neil with comfortable ease. Everything works perfectly on this recording. Recommended.”
– Gene Hyde, CD Hotlist: New Releases for Libraries, July 2007
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“Andersen has been at this a long time, never attaining the fame and recognition he deserves while creating an impressive body of work that this fine recording eloquently documents. . . Nothing takes away from the songs, performed intensely and precisely, with backing musicians admirably attuned to the singer's needs and nuances. . . . Overall, Blue Rain offers testimony to a fierce, continuing engagement with his art. Now in his own mid-60s, Andersen hasn't taken any easy highway. You don't get to be this good if you travel that way.”
– Jerome Clark, Rambles.NET, July 28, 2007
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“Eric Andersen's voice at 60-plus is naturally huskier than it was during his halcyon days as a ’60's Greenwich Village folkie, and following that, a singer-songwriter. It's conducive, therefore, to singing the blues, and for his first live album that's what he does. . . . he is convincing, and there's no doubt he's in a comfort zone here. The bulk of the material is self-penned, and includes updates . . . of two tracks off his 1972 classic Blue River, the beatific title song and the junkie's lament "Sheila" A cover of Fred Neil's perennial "The Other Side of this Life" provides a classy lead-in, and the muscular "You Can't Relive the Past," which Andersen co-wrote with Lou Reed, doubles as an appropriate theme for this restless veteran.”
– Harp Magazine |
“Pulling songs from all quadrants as long as they interest him, Andersen makes this one for himself and it’s a real valentine for the fans. From Fred Neil covers to recent co-writes with Lou Reed, Andersen covers his lengthy career with his eye cocked on the blues he was first turned on to by Lightnin’ Hopkins. A tasty, zesty romp that finds him right up there with the best of his fellow blues loving white boys.”
– Chris Spector, Midwest Record |
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