Search - Jorma Kaukonen :: Too Hot to Handle

Odd recording.

06/18/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It is not so much the material (Ice Age is a classic) that sabotages this recording as it is the guitar work. Normally, Kaukonen is one of the most gifted of acoustic blues guitarists but here he sounds as if he is in need of drug-rehab. His natural warmth and fluidity is lost to some of the coldest and choppiest playing of his recorded career. It was if he hadn't picked up the guitar in ages. Quah and the two Live At Stillwater disc's present Jorma in a much better (and acoustic) light. Give this one a pass...Simon"

Timeless window into man's soul

aspiring saint | in the moment zone | 04/14/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the Jorma album that stands the test of time best for me. His playing is spontaneous and driven by feeling rather than technique as it usually is. Songwriting is divinely inspired. It is not unusual for artists to create masterpieces during turbulent times in their lives...perhaps because we are closest to God in weakness, and the best songwriting involves powers more mysterious and elusive than logic, education, and technique. Unfortunately my copy was lost during a turbulent period in my own life! It is worth the money to replace it."