Across the Water (Bernard Allison album)
| Across the Water | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2000 | |||
| Genre | Blues, blues rock | |||
| Label | Tone-Cool | |||
| Producer | Jim Gaines | |||
| Bernard Allison chronology | ||||
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Across the Water is an album by the American musician Bernard Allison, released in 2000.[1][2] Allison supported the album with a North American tour.[3] It was Allison's second album to be released in the United States.[4]
Production
[edit]Recorded in Memphis and Minneapolis, the album was produced by Jim Gaines.[5][6][7] Allison felt it was necessary to add rock elements to his music, as blues was becoming less popular with younger Black audiences.[8] "I Just Came Back to Say Goodbye" is a cover of the Colin James song.[9] "Love Is Free" and "Change Your Way of Living" are covers of songs by Allison's father, Luther Allison.[10] "There's No Higher Love" employs a horn section.[11]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [12] |
| Fort Worth Star-Telegram | [13] |
| Ottawa Citizen | [14] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [15] |
| The Press of Atlantic City | [16] |
Exclaim! wrote that "Bernard's guitar burns and blisters harder and faster across much of this release and his tone is to die for."[9] Billboard praised "the bluesy Hendrix riffage of the title track."[17] The Hartford Courant said that Allison is "an inventive guitarist, sprinkling crunchy power chords, gritty solos and funky wah-wah lines all over the album."[11]
The Washington Post opined that, "at times, Across the Water sounds like an early-'70s Savoy Brown album with all the lumbering bombast and broad gestures such an analogy implies."[18] The Ottawa Citizen concluded that Allison "seems to be making a grab for the Top-10 ring of pop music success and, for better or worse, he's got too much pure ability and blues chops to make it work."[14] The Fort Worth Star-Telegram determined that "Allison's blues can get generic at times, but far more often he is convincing."[13]
AllMusic wrote that "rock, funk, and straight-ahead blues are all covered with ease."[12]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The River's Rising" | |
| 2. | "Meet Me Half Way" | |
| 3. | "I Just Came Back to Say Goodbye" | |
| 4. | "I Want to Get You Back" | |
| 5. | "Love Is Free" | |
| 6. | "Coming Back (Across the Water)" | |
| 7. | "Change Your Way of Living" | |
| 8. | "Feels Kinda Funny" | |
| 9. | "Work It Out" | |
| 10. | "There's No Higher Love" | |
| 11. | "I've Been Down" |
References
[edit]- ^ "Bernard Allison Biography by Thom Jurek". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ Takiff, Jonathan (3 Aug 2000). "Bernard Allison, son of the late blues great...". Times Union. Albany: Knight Ridder. p. P41.
- ^ King, Sharon (14 Aug 2000). "Heir and 'Water'". New York Now. Daily News. New York. p. 51.
- ^ Gardner, Cathy (31 Oct 2000). "Musician returns 'home,' wins new fans". Chicago Defender. p. 14.
- ^ Skelly, Richard (15 Oct 2000). "Keepin' the blues alive". Asbury Park Press. p. E1.
- ^ Cullen Chapman, Cindy (16 Jun 2000). "B.A. in Blues". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids. p. 8W.
- ^ "A glimpse at the new and notable". Journal Star. Peoria. 3 Aug 2000. p. C3.
- ^ Morris, Chris (Jun 17, 2000). "Young Black blues artists on the fringes". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 25. pp. 1, 100.
- ^ a b Thom, Eric (February 1, 2001). "Bernard Allison Across the Water". Exclaim!. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ Kassulke, Natasha (26 Oct 2000). "Carrying On Dad's Legacy". Rhythm. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 21.
- ^ a b Danton, Eric R. (17 Aug 2000). "Across the Water Bernard Allison". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 6.
- ^ a b "Across the Water Review by Al Campbell". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ a b Ferman, Dave (11 Aug 2000). "Bernard Allison, Across the Water". Star Time. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 16.
- ^ a b Provencher, Norman (24 Feb 2001). "Blues". Ottawa Citizen. p. K4.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 4.
- ^ Cronin, Steve (8 Sep 2000). "'Across the Water', Bernard Allison". At the Shore. The Press of Atlantic City. p. 28.
- ^ Paoletta, Michael (Aug 12, 2000). "Across the Water". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 33. p. 20.
- ^ Himes, Geoffrey (13 Oct 2000). "Bernard Allison 'Across the Water'". The Washington Post. p. WW15.
