ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 20, 1995
By Steve Newton
Considering the mostly weak material that characterized the Jeff Healey Band’s previous release, Feel This, it’s no surprise that the Toronto-based blues-rock trio has gone the cover route. The spark that lit up the band’s 1988 debut, See the Light, has all but fizzled of late, leaving the group to churn out various old blues gems and the odd rock classic from the ’70s and late ’60s.
Some of the tracks (such as the instrumental take on Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown”, featuring Blues Traveler harpist John Popper) breathe life into the originals, while others (such as the grating, grungy-voiced version of CCR’s “Run Through the Jungle”) plod along needlessly.
Healey’s typically intense fretwork offers some bright moments, but his limited vocal dynamics and the sheer banality of his longtime rhythm section cause the tunes to wear thin after only a few run-throughs.