Search - Brown;Savoy :: Let It Ride

A Worthy CD

Ralph L. Jefferson | Chicago, IL USA | 12/13/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let It Ride is a very worthy cd for both the new and 'less new' Savoy Brown fan. It has both uptempo good-time (boogie) blues songs, and slower, "I got the blues to my shoes" songs. For the new fan, there's several good rockin' tunes like "Flat Out" and "Looking Out" (both instrumentals), and "Yesterday's Blues". For the experienced fan, Savoy Brown does it again, a la "Can't Get Next To You" with an arrangement of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" that'll have you matching the words and spirit of the song, even though it's instrumental. Best of all, Kim Simmonds' ear-poppin' guitar playing is exceptional ('great' is overused), and it blends in with the songs and the band so well, you'll wish this band could get the airplay it deserves. Buy it, you won't regret it."

Savoy Beige!

chris meesey Food Czar | The Colony, TX United States | 09/30/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"There comes a time in the life and career of every artist when the great Muse that stokes his creative fire fails to ignite. For Kim Simmonds, founder-director of Savoy Brown and architect behind more successful albums than many bands in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame (where he belongs), that time was 1992, and the album was Let It Ride. That great singer Dave Walker had just left the band for the second (and probably last) time, and Kim was once again left to his own devices. As always, he gave it his best effort, but most of the tracks sound like outtakes from sessions by The Black Crows rather than music from one of the most influential blues-rock bands of all time. Luckily, the record isn't a total loss: the instrumental cover of Bill Wither's classic "Ain't No Sunshine" shimmers like a polished jewel in sunlight. As the rest of the album isn't even worth discussing, I'll say no more. Within a few years, Kim would tear down his creative stonewall and once again write and record music worthy of the name Savoy Brown. Please buy several of his better efforts, whether old (Street Corner Talking, Getting to the Point) or new (Blues Keep Me Holding On, Strange Dream). You won't be sorry. But unless you have to have a copy of everything Kim Simmonds recorded, I feel safe in saying you can pass this album by."

KIM SIMMONDS DOES IT AGAIN!!

Thomas D. Christianson | Ashland, WI United States | 12/10/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It is simply amazing how Kim Simmonds has continued to put out top notch music with an ever changing line up. Some say he had a period where he went through a slump. I don't know when that slump was, but I have a ton of SAVOY BROWN c.d.s, and I can find no evidence of it anywhere. This c.d. is outstanding. I left off the fifth star. That, I think should be reserved for the output from the Chris Youlden and Dave Walker days (probably the two best vocalist in SAVOY BROWN history). If you enjoyed the line up from those days, I feel it is safe to say you will enjoy this release as well. Simmonds guitar is, as always, excellent on this release. I believe that he ranks up there as one of the top three blues/rock guitarists of all time. He has put together a fine line up. The vocals on this one are split up between four of the band members, including Simmonds himself. The results are brilliant. All the vocalists seem to be a great match for the songs assigned to them. You will have no use whatsoever for the skip button when you pop this one in. Great songs all around, from slow blues to complete rock outs, all done in that great SAVOY BROWN tradition. This is a superb c.d. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for reading my review. I hope the coming new year brings much more great guitar work to your ears.

Tom"