"the Listener" 1989 Volume 122

1989 Hans Theessink ("The Euro-Bluesman") recorded this album of originals, covers of prewar country blues (Son House's "Grinning in Your Face," Garfield Akers' "Dough Roller Blues"), even an arrangement of Jimmy Cliff's "Living in Limbo." He is ably accompanied by a 10-piece band, including horn section, saxes, tablas and more.

Recorded live at the 14th Jazz Festival "Jazz Jamboree '76", Warsaw. Muddy Waters was the single most important artist to emerge in post-war American blues. A peerless singer, a gifted songwriter, an able guitarist, and leader of one of the strongest bands in the genre (which became a proving ground for a number of musicians who would become legends in their own right), Waters absorbed the influences of rural blues from the Deep South and moved them uptown, injecting his music with a fierce, electric energy and helping pioneer the Chicago Blues style that would come to dominate the music through the 1950s, ‘60s, and '70s. The depth of Waters' influence on rock as well as blues is almost incalculable, and remarkably, he made some of his strongest and most vital recordings in the last five years of his life.

The past Elton John has in mind is the era of soul music of the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, and although all the songs are new, he recreates it well here…

Known for his solo hits in the 1980s as well as his hits with the band Smokie in the '70s, Chris Norman is a British soft rock singer with an international following whose career spans several decades. Born on October 25, 1950, in Redcar, North Yorkshire, England, he began his musical career in the band Smokie. Originally founded in 1965, the band changed its name several times before ultimately deciding upon Smokie in the mid-'70s. Comprised of Alan Silson (lead guitar, vocals), Terry Uttley (bass, vocals), and Pete Spencer (drums), in addition to Norman (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Smokie made their album debut in 1975 with Pass It Around.

Stevie Nicks' fourth solo album received more than its share of negative reviews from rock critics, who seemed to mistake her poetic and not always terribly discernible lyrics for pretentiousness. Although not as strong as Nicks' three previous solo dates, The Other Side of the Mirror is a decent album that has many more pluses than minuses…

Elton John once claimed that he could remember The One among his latter-day albums because it was the first he recorded without drugs or alcohol. If true – and there's no reason to doubt him – that could be the reason why this has more character than most of his albums since the early '80s, holding together well in its deliberately measured, mature songcraft by Elton and Bernie Taupin…

Stevie Nicks' fourth solo album received more than its share of negative reviews from rock critics, who seemed to mistake her poetic and not always terribly discernible lyrics for pretentiousness. Although not as strong as Nicks' three previous solo dates, The Other Side of the Mirror is a decent album that has many more pluses than minuses. While there are a few less-than-memorable moments, some of the songs – including "Long Way to Go," "Ghosts," and "Whole Lotta Trouble" – are fairly strong. Nicks' more devoted followers will want this album, which should be purchased only if one already has Bella Donna, The Wild Heart, and Rock a Little.