Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
 Simply Cool December 18, 2000
R. Spooner (UK: Midlands)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I came across this CD at the back of a drawer a few days ago and it was like I had discovered some long lost treasure. After a six year absence I treated myself to what honestly has to be one of the best rock n' roll albums I own. You can hear they had a fantastic time making this. It just gels together beautifully. Great tunes that will make your feet tap and any long car journey fly by. It's now at the top of the CD rack!!
An underrated classic December 7, 2002
Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae)
18 out of 22 found this review helpful
On "Izzy Stradlin And The Ju Ju Hounds", Stradlin left his GnR-past behind, and presented himself as a rock guitarist in the vein of the Faces and the Stones, but with a style all of his own.pThis is a wonderful rock n' roll album, plain and simple, and worth all of five stars. It continues to grow on me, and I've had it ever since it came out ten years (and two month!) ago.brIt may be lacking the obvious pop hit, but the quality of the songs is so high all the way through, not a single truly weak moment in sight. All in all, a real testament to Izzy Stradlin's abilities as a songwriter, a guitarist, a producer, and an arranger.pThe album contains a mixture of bluesy rockers (including a faithful cover of Ronnie Wood's "Take A Look At The Guy"), ballads, and even a reggae-cover, Frederic 'Toots' Hibbert and the Maytal's "Pressure Drop".brOn "Ju Ju Hounds", Stradlin has surrounded himself with an extremely competent backing band, including former Georgia Satelites-guitarist Rick Richards, drummer Charlie Quintana, and the Faces' keyboardist Ian McLagan playing piano and Hammond B3 organ.brAnd the results are terrific. Stradlin's vocal delivery is somewhere in between the nasal whine of Bob Dylan and the hoarse whisper of Keith Richards, but his range is actually not at all bad, and his voice is more powerful than you would expect if you've only ever heard him do "Dust n' Bones" and "14 Years" with Guns n' Roses.pThe opening track, "Somebody Knockin'", is a sturdy, mid-tempo rocker worthy of the Stones, and it is followed by the Ju Ju Hounds' hard-rockin cover of "Pressure Drop", with a catchy instrumental reggae-coda, complete with Izzy Stradlin himself humming along to the syncopated beat.brThen comes a folksy little tune, "Time Gone By", which feels like a ballad but is really mid-tempo, and ringing with mandolins and hand-claps, and the absolute highlight of Stradlin's solo career, the song that should've become a classic, but inexplicably never did:br"Shuffle It All" starts off with a bluesy bass riff, then come the guitars, and finally the drums and the Hammond B3 kicks in, driving the song along. This is one of the best, grooviest rock shuffles I have ever heard, and the Rolling Stones would've beenm proud had they written it.br"Bucket O' Trouble" is a short punk-throwback, and then comes another highlight, the hard rocker "Train Tracks", with Stradlin and Rick Richards drawing a blueprint for all aspiring two-guitar combos to follow.br"How Will It Go" is a tender love song, mainly acoustic, but with Richards playing great electric fills over Stradlin's intricate rhythm and former Broken Homes-bassist Jimmy Ashworth's mandolin.brAnd that is followed by perhaps the catchiest rocker on the album, "Cuttin' The Rug", sporting more great, interlocking guitar work from Stradlin and Richards, and organ by Ian McLagan.pFinally, Ronnie Wood himself guests on "Take A Look At The Guy", playing lead guitar and singing backup, and the album closes with the seven-minute "Come On Now Inside", a slow, melancholy blues featuring great slide work from Rick Richards and Ian McLagan playing piano.pYou may need to listen to this album a few times in order to truly appreciate it. It is musical craftsmanship of the highest order, but it is not a pop record, and Izzy Stradlin with his raspy, nasal voice is no Perry Como. Still, why this did not become a real hit is beyond me. Song for song, it is as good as the Faces' best work, and better than anything the Rolling Stones has done since the seventies.
Sublime August 4, 2000
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is just one of the best albums you can buy. What we have hear is a mixture of blues, slide guitar and slight punk. The opener Somebody Knockin is just brilliant, Shuffle It All has some cool bass and guitar riffs, and the other tracks are just excellent. Must buy!
Very Cool....... July 18, 2000
This album is his first, and possibly the best. There's a good variety of styles, and so it appeals to most tastes. Izzy's vocal skills shine through, and the band just top it off.....you either love it or hate it. Personally, I love it.
Not the norm. April 12, 2007
Matthew Doran (Leeds, UK)
When I first played this album I was expecting it to rock, like the old G'N'R stuff, but to my suprise it didn't. From the first to the last song you realise how tallented Izzy was when he was with G'N'R. This is one of thoes albums that, no matter where it is played, you wont get a single complaint from anyone. It is, if you will, back ground music or something to listen to on thoes long hot summer days lazying around with not a care in the world. After hearing this album I realised how much influence Izzy had on Guns music. Songs such as Dust N' Bones, Double Talkin' Jive and You Ain't the First, to name a few. I seriously reckomend buying this album, if you are looking to branch out your music genre.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
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