Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack: Doyle Bramhall II (vocals, guitar); Chris Bruce (guitar, bass); J.J. Johnson (drums, percussion); Susannah Melvoin (percussion, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Craig Ross (guitar); Benmont Tench (piano, organ).
Producers: Jim Scott, Benmont Tench, Doyle Bramhall II.
Recorded at Cello Studios, Los Angeles, California.
Welcome, Doyle Bramhall's third effort, continues to blur the lines between rock and blues, but he doesn't always achieve success with this tactic. Although the album opens with "Green Light Girl," a frenetic tune with lots of rockin', driving guitar riffs, the majority of the songs veer toward blues, albeit unconvincingly. "Send Some Love," an aching ballad, calls for emotion-drenched crooning, but Bramhall's vocals are a tad too cool, and "Thin Dream" attempts at bluesy stylings but is really a rock power ballad. The last cut, "Cry," finally whips up some emotion from Bramhall, but it should have been spread throughout Welcome. Even contemporary blues needs a little grit. ~ Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
- Format: Vinyl
- Genre: Pop
