With a title like ‘Like A Fire’ you expect some sparks.
This couldn’t be further from it. Perhaps it’s a wind up. The veteran Blues-Soul
shouter is going to disappoint many of his early fans with this release. His stunning
set at this year’s Glastonbury showed the old master still has the tubes, but on
first listen you begin to think Like A Fire is a sign he’s being put out
to graze.
Not so. After many rotations, it’s quite a neat and often understated package.
Boasting a stellar line-up of writing contributors and musicians including Eric
Clapton, Norah Jones’ fave writer Jesse Harris, Keb’ Mo’ and somewhere in
there, Dean Park and Toto’s David Paich, it’s hard to see anybody else other
than Burke pulling of this type of album.
We’re all accustomed, especially older fans, to Burke’s rasping vocals on songs
such as Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, written and recorded in 1964;
covered by The Rolling Stones, The Blues Brothers and Wilson Pickett. Despite
his popularity, he only managed one UK single entry with Junkie XL’s Catch Up To My Step in 2003.
Since 1962 he’s never stopped recording, (he needed to with 21 children and 88
grandchildren!) with 2006’s Nashville being one of his better latter releases.
Like A Fire is a very pleasant album, no doubt, showing he’s not prepared to
stand still.
Ok, the power and fire is absent, nevertheless its still a very, very enjoyable
album. Like genre stablemate (Reverend) Al Green, Burke is experiencing a bit
of a renaissance so he keeps the faith in getting others (like 2002’s Don’t Give
Up On Me) in recruiting stellar writers/musicians Eric Clapton who gives two
songs – the gorgeous acoustic treated title track and country inflected
Thank You, co-written with Slow Hand.
Ben Harper’s low hung groove on A Minute To Rest finds ‘King’ Solomon
enjoying the soulful template and steel guitar licks, whereas the country tinged
ballad We Don’t Need It finds him in a much huskier mode, perfectly fused
with the steady ballad, once again with splashes of steel guitar giving the
track just enough texture.
Steven Jordan’s ain’t That Something is the jewel in the King’s crown.
There’s an old school Staple Singers soul-gospel thing going on. Burke gently
shuffles off (literally – check the drum brushes!) on the Jacobs-Crane-Brewster
1950s loungy standard If I Give My Heart To You, which doesn’t quite
make any sense with its inclusion – a peculiar choice indeed.
From all the studio performances, Burke has delivered a genuinely warm, relaxed
and sincere collection of mid-tempo songs, which might just bring on board a
new generation of fans.
File under: Power to his 68, or is it 72 year old elbow?
1. Like A Fire
2. We Don’t Need It
3. The Fall
4. A Minute To Rest And A Second Pray
5. Ain’t That Something
6. What Makes Me Think I was Right
7. Understanding
8. You And Me
9. Thank You
10. If I give My Heart To You
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008.
