Birthright

Seattle Post Intelligencer, May 24, 2005
"The most authentic and important blues preacher since the Rev. Davis...a modern milestone in the story of the blues."

Product Description
James Blood Ulmer is in the midst of a career revival—an artistic renaissance if you will. A new generation of music fans have discovered his music, while at the same time older fans from throughout his 40-year career have shown a renewed fervor for his iconoclastic genius.

Ulmer's previous two recordings, "Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions" and "No Escape From The Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions" led to much recognition, including a Grammy Award nomination, Rolling Stone Magazine "Best Album" honors, a performance at Martin Scorsese blues celebration concert at Radio City Music Hall and high profile appearances with the likes of Government Mule, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.

On Birthright, his latest studio album, Ulmer goes it alone. It’s just he and his guitar singing and playing 12 of the most stark, personal and spellbinding songs he’s ever recorded. The blues hasn’t sounded this honest in a long, long time. It’s clearly the work of an American music legend continuing to reinvent himself, while remaining as musically vital today as at any point in his long and distinguished career.

Birthright

Birthright,James Blood Ulmer,HYENA Records,Acoustic Blues,Blues,Contemporary Blues,Jazz,Modern Electric Blues,New York Blues,Pop

Average customer rating: The NEW version of Country Blues!!! Ulmer's Modern Masterpiece The Real (New) Old-time Blues

Birthright James Blood Ulmer Manufacturer: HYENA Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Acoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music New York Blues | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: No Escape from the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall Bring 'Em In ASIN: B0009HLCHE Release Date: 2005-05-24

Tracks:

1. Take My Music Back To The Church
2. I Can't Take It Anymore
3. Where Did All The Girls Come From
4. I Ain't Superstitious
5. White Man's Jail
6. High Yellow
7. The Evil One
8. Geechee Joe
9. Love Dance Rag
10. Sittin' On Top Of The World
11. My Most Favorite Thing
12. Devil's Got To Burn

Album Description

James Blood Ulmer is in the midst of a career revival—an artistic renaissance if you will. A new generation of music fans have discovered his music, while at the same time older fans from throughout his 40-year career have shown a renewed fervor for his iconoclastic genius.

Ulmer's previous two recordings, "Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions" and "No Escape From The Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions" led to much recognition, including a Grammy Award nomination, Rolling Stone Magazine "Best Album" honors, a performance at Martin Scorsese blues celebration concert at Radio City Music Hall and high profile appearances with the likes of Government Mule, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.

On Birthright, his latest studio album, Ulmer goes it alone. It's just he and his guitar singing and playing 12 of the most stark, personal and spellbinding songs he's ever recorded. The blues hasn't sounded this honest in a long, long time. It's clearly the work of an American music legend continuing to reinvent himself, while remaining as musically vital today as at any point in his long and distinguished career.

Customer Reviews:

The NEW version of Country Blues!!!.......2006-05-06

This James Blood Ulmer CD is his Best since FREELANCING and TALES OF CAPTAIN BLACK;but actually more innovative because He takes old Country blues and fuses it with his Ornette Coleman harmodelics and he comes up with the most innovative approach to Country Blues since John Lee Hooker;Blood Ulmer has finally found his Calling!!

Ulmer's Modern Masterpiece.......2005-06-19

I've had the opportunity to see James Blood Ulmer a few times over the last few years. I've become a big fan of his distinct originality on the guitar. He plays with freewheeling abandon and gutteral instinct. Of course, in becoming aware of his music, I picked up copies of the two blues records, Memphis Blood and No Escape From the Blues, as well as some of the older stuff like Odyssey and Freelancing (on vinyl). I love all of those albums. The two blues discs are some of my favorites of current recordings in the genre.

But little prepared me for Birthright, which might just be James Blood Ulmer's masterpiece. It's just James Blood Ulmer here completely solo. The record almost feels ancient. Like a Son House or Robert Johnson recording but in the modern day. Parts of it are haunted as Ulmer digs and slashs on the guitar, his voice trembling with a natural vibrato. Truly Spectacular. Other songs like Geechee Joe and a reworking of his song, Where Did All The Girls Come From, are quite beautiful and imbued with grace. At times the music almost seems like folk art. Ulmer doesn't sound schooled in the blues -- there's not a traditional blues lick to be found. The music sounds like an exorcism -- a natural release of song and sound. Birthright is actually a perfect title because it's exactly what an album like this is. What Ulmer's doing can't be faked. It's his and he owns it.

I highly recommend this to people in search of the real thing -- of real music, of real expression, of real soul. James Blood Ulmer - Birthright is a modern gem and one of the most compelling CDs I've heard all year.

The Real (New) Old-time Blues.......2005-06-18

When I first heard this album, I thought it was mostly Ulmer covering old and somewhat obscure acoustic blues songs. But in fact, he wrote all but two of the songs. Somehow he was able to capture the spirit of the real old-time blues within his own personal guitar style, which is derived from the very modern harmolodic approach. It is a solo ablum, with him singing on every cut and playing a spacey flute at the very end. Nonetheless, the sound is very rich, and he manages to fill in all the spaces of the music so that you don't feel that anything is missing.

I have liked most of what Blood Ulmer has put out, but this strikes me as being one of his most beautiful albums. It is heartfelt, musically intriguing, and rich in the tradition of the blues. The original blues players wrote songs about their everyday lives and events, mentioning people and places that they knew. Ulmer recaptures this tradition on Geeche Joe, a song about his grandfather, which is extremely touching in his love for the old man and his struggles with life and racial prejudice. And his rearrangment of Sitting on Top of the World is amazing and beautiful.

I heard his previous blues CD, Memphis Blood, and I found it entertaining but not particularly interesting or deep. This CD is all those things, and I expect to return to it often.

Average customer rating: Good and easy A Great Effort very good first cd

Tumbleweed Clay Greenberg Manufacturer: Kinajou ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music ASIN: B00005O7TD Release Date: 2001-08-14

Tracks:

1. Whenever I Fall Down
2. Tumbleweed Blues
3. My Oklahoma
4. Leavin'
5. Dreadful Selfish Crime
6. I'm So Happy I Don't Have a Gun
7. The House Song
8. Tinsel Town
9. The Poor Heart Blues
10. Our New Favorite Song

Customer Reviews:

Good and easy.......2002-03-10

Clay's music has spirit and a reality about it. He played for me and about 15 friends at a casual dinner in Nashville and he is as real on the CD as in person. You will enjoy this one.

A Great Effort.......2001-09-19

The charts call this CD "alternative country." The term "alternative" can bring to mind experimental, sometimes wacko ideas. None of that will be found here. This is straightforward good music. If you want a CD with a consistent sound that you can spin up and just relax, this is it. No loud surprises. No sappy, drawn out, formula endings. Just pure humanity. Mr. Greenberg writes what he feels. Sometimes funny, sometimes insightful. Always earnest. Bring a few friends over and sit on the back porch listening to this music. It's great. Word is spreading about this guy--as well it should.

very good first cd.......2001-01-22

The disc contains some very excellent material and through his lyrics one can really get to realize the time and thought put into this effort. Clay's voice and the music are very good, with his Oklahoma roots showing through. Clay puts forth a great rendition of Robert Earl Keen's "Dreadful Selfish Crime", and "The House Song" with Guy Clark is priceless. This CD is a great start and one which folks who appreciate efforts like Robert Earl, Reckless Kelly, and others, should own. I saw him in Oklahoma City solo and he was very, very good. He played some material from an upcoming CD, one that I will be purchasing.

Average customer rating:

The Birthright Circle Zen Rock and Roll Manufacturer: Progrock Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B0006FFRQG Release Date: 2004-11-16

Tracks:

1. Thanatos
2. Anthem
3. Richard
4. Circle

Average customer rating:

Birthright Hamiet Bluiett Manufacturer: India Navigation ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music ASIN: B0000020WD Release Date: 1996-01-16

Tracks:

1. Doll Baby [Aka Song Service]
2. Mighty Denn
3. Village of Brooklyn, Illinois 62059
4. Ballad for George Hudson
5. My Father's House-1. Hamiet/2. Deborah/3. Karen
6. In Tribute to Harry Carney
7. Ebu-Helen
8. Closing

Average customer rating:

Birthright Manufacturer: Caralittle music/BMI ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0001F2KWU

Average customer rating:

Creative Impulse Manufacturer: Melanie Votaw ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music ASIN: B000CAD63G Release Date: 2002-06-11

Average customer rating:

First Light Dying Breed Manufacturer: Birthright Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0000DEMA3 Release Date: 1998-12-01

Tracks:

1. Dig
2. Twisted
3. Price on My Head
4. Salvation Road
5. One of the Living
6. Some of Us Change
7. I Don't Want You
8. Innocent Kiss
9. Second Thoughts
10. Goodbye

Average customer rating:

Philip Martin Songs Manufacturer: Altarus ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000003IXN Release Date: 1995-11-29

Average customer rating:

The Birthright Circle Zen Rock And Roll Manufacturer: Prog Rock ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000LX2GSK

Average customer rating:

Birthright James Blood Ulmer ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000R0E7B6

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