CD Review: Freeway Jam - To Beck and Back - Various Artists

by Staff.

From the review by Rich Murray: The latest guitar tribute album from Tone Center Records (part of the Shrapnel Label Group) is an homage to Jeff Beck entitled Freeway Jam - To Beck And Back. The label's previous guitar-centric tribute albums honored John Coltrane, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis, Steely Dan, and Carlos Santana. As with the previous tribute CDs, producer/arranger Jeff Richman has assembled a fine collection of diverse guitarists for this album. The featured soloists this time around are Steve Morse, John Scofield, Eric Johnson, Adam Rogers, Mike Stern, Warren Haynes, Chris Duarte, Greg Howe, Walter Trout, and Richman himself. The album also includes Vinnie Colaiuta and Simon Phillips on drums, Stu Hamm on bass, and Mitchel Forman on keyboards. Richman plays rhythm guitar on all the tracks, and plays lead on "El Becko". This is certainly one of Richman's strongest tribute projects yet. There are many great performances by the featured guitarists, and the songs themselves are all fresh, inventive takes on the originals. Well worth picking up.