Search - Bill Wyman, Rhythm Kings :: Groovin

More snooze than groove

Patrick Earley | Edmond, Oklahoma USA | 12/15/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"When I saw the names Gary Brooker, Georgie Fame, and Albert Lee on the cover of this cd, I have to admit I took the bait and got lured in to getting this. But in the end, I really didn't get anything out of this album but a yawn. Of the trilogy of albums the Rhythm Kings have put out in the last few years, this is by far the weakest of the lot. It does have a couple highlights. Namely the ones where ex Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker sings, which is only 2 songs. The upbeat rock and roller "Hole In The Wall", and the Lovin' Spoonful's "Daydream". One other highlight is the cajun flavored "Mood Swing", in which session man extraordinaire Albert Lee does one of his rare vocal performances. The rest of this album is basically run of the mill jazzy blues that have such a slow late night feel to them, that it was hard to listen to this cd all the way through. The few rock and roll moments that there are between the snoozers don't even sound very inspirational. They're very generic 70's type retro rock songs. I've heard it all before, and done better than these remakes. If you want a good Rhythm Kings album, get their first one "Anyway The Winds Blow". It's still their best cd, and it has pretty much this same lineup. Just a lot better material to work with. "Groovin" is one of those cd's I'll listen to once and put it on the shelf to maybe listen to years later. I don't think I'll like it anymore then either. I'll give this one a generous 3 stars just for it's saving grace Gary Brooker."

Good Stuff!

deepbluereview | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA | 02/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Unfortunately, Amazon incorrectly lists this as a CD-Single and, as such, it is easy to pass it by. As you can see, the opposite is true. The CD contains 14 songs and clocks in around 50 minutes. Interestingly, this CD was released on the same day as Wyman's "Double Bill" and contains essentially the same group of musicians including Albert Lee, Beverly Skeete, Graham Bond and George Fame among others. In contrast to "Double Bill" which is blues oriented, this disc leans more towards that rockabilly, pop and jazz sound. The CD actually compliments "Double Bill" without sounding redundant. It seems that Wyman could have easlily released this in combination with the other CD renaming it "Triple Bill". In any event, with the exception of a rather annoying take on the 60's "Groovin'", I almost prefer this disc to "Double Bill". It truly is good stuff!"

More bluesy

T. McCool | Lafayette, IN United States | 01/29/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Bill and friends expose a more bluesy side than other RK efforts, but the quality remains the same. These are (comparatively) old musicians having a blast with music they love to perform! I have all the RK CDs and I love to listen to them often. Highly recommended."