Blue Diamond is an album by the American musician Sonny Rhodes, released in 1999.[1][2] The album title refers to Rhodes's nickname.[3] Blue Diamond is dedicated to Johnny Copeland.[4] Rhodes supported the album, his first for Stony Plain Records, with a North American tour.[5][6]
| Blue Diamond | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Studio | King Snake | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Stony Plain | |||
| Producer | Bob Greenlee | |||
| Sonny Rhodes chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
Produced by Bob Greenlee, the album was recorded at King Snake Studios, in Florida.[7][8] Rhodes wrote or cowrote 10 of its songs; his writing was influenced primarily by Percy Mayfield.[9][10] "Beside Myself" is an instrumental.[4] "Too Much Trouble" is about juvenile gun violence.[11] "Life's Rainbow" was written by Copeland.[7] The album concludes with a 20-minute interview with Rhodes.[12]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Edmonton Journal |  [7] |
| The Gazette | 8.5/10[13] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [12] |
| The Province | [14] |
| Winnipeg Sun | [15] |
The Gazette wrote that "Rhodes plays most of his leads on a lap steel guitar, an instrument much more common in country music... In his hands though, the lap steel is about as blue as B.B. King's Lucille."[13] The Star Tribune said that "Rhodes can deliver a big, tender ballad just as well as a funky bar shuffle."[4] The Edmonton Journal praised "the raspy, but at times tender, at times sneering, vocals of Rhodes, and his stinging and slicing lap steel guitar playing."[7]
The Times Colonist opined that "it's the best work in the musician's long recording career, but it only hints at the power of Sonny Rhodes's live show."[16] The Asbury Park Press listed Blue Diamond as the seventh best blues album of 1999, writing that Rhodes "showcases his masterful lyrical ideas and backs it up with blistering guitar playing and intricate lap steel treatments."[17] The Province determined that Rhodes "knows how to put an album together but still sounds like a guy best seen live."[14]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Meet Me at the 10th Street Inn" | |
| 2. | "Shame on You" | |
| 3. | "Blues Is My Religion" | |
| 4. | "Blue Diamond" | |
| 5. | "Back Where You Come From" | |
| 6. | "Rainy Day" | |
| 7. | "What You're Looking For" | |
| 8. | "Beside Myself" | |
| 9. | "Too Much Trouble" | |
| 10. | "Love from a Stone" | |
| 11. | "Blues Walk" | |
| 12. | "Blues Man's Prayer" | |
| 13. | "Life's Rainbow" | |
| 14. | "Sonny Rhodes Interview" |
References edit
- ^ Watson, Blair S. (22 Dec 1999). "Christmas more than a season to Rhodes". Calgary Herald. p. C1.
- ^ Chapman, Geoff (Jul 10, 1999). "Blues Reviews". Toronto Star. p. H7.
- ^ North, Peter (22 Jan 1999). "Stony Plain Records continues to build...". Edmonton Journal. p. E5.
- ^ a b c Surowicz, Tom (12 June 1999). "Rhodes scholar". Star Tribune. p. 1E.
- ^ Swanson, Pete (Jul 16, 1999). "Sonny Rhodes brings lap steel guitar to Black Eagle nightclub". Entertainment. Great Falls Tribune. p. 6.
- ^ Blake, Joseph (1 July 1999). "If you missed Rhodes, catch him in Comox". Times Colonist. p. D2.
- ^ a b c d North, Peter (13 June 1999). "Sonny Rhodes: Blue Diamond". Edmonton Journal. p. C5.
- ^ Levesque, Roger (19 Feb 1999). "'There is nobody in the world who's never had the blues'". Edmonton Journal. p. E13.
- ^ a b "Blue Diamond Review by Bob Gottlieb". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ Perry, Greg (27 Apr 2000). "Sonny Rhodes singing a Blues streak". Life. Times & Transcript.
- ^ Jordan, Chris (Aug 6, 1999). "Texas or bust: Sonny Rhodes". On the Go. Home News Tribune. p. 11.
- ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 544.
- ^ a b Regenstreif, Mike (27 May 1999). "Blues". The Gazette. p. B9.
- ^ a b McLaughlin, John P. (13 June 2000). "Sonny Rhodes: Blue Diamond". The Province. p. B4.
- ^ "Sonny Rhodes Blue Diamond". Winnipeg Sun. Jun 11, 1999. p. 46.
- ^ Blake, Joseph (24 June 1999). "Sonny Rhodes is the real deal". Times Colonist. p. D4.
- ^ Skelly, Richard (24 Dec 1999). "Blue Xmas". Asbury Park Press. p. F13.