Doyle Bramhall II - Live at the Great Wall of China
Performance
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Doyle Bramhall II - Live at the Great Wall of China
Performance
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I became a big Doyle Bramhall II fan after picking up the 1992 debut album by the band Arc Angels, Bramhall's superb one-off collaboration with Stevie Ray Vaughan's old Double Trouble rhythm section of Chris Layton (drums) and Tommy Shannon (bass), and fellow, Texas, blues-rock disciple, Charlie Sexton sharing the guitar and vocal duties. The album was a killer, but Bramhall's substance abuse problems led to the band's untimely demise the very next year, just as they were really getting started. The good news is that the band has been playing together again occasionally since 2002, and Bramhall has indicated on his website that there are a couple of Arc Angels DVDs in the works. Bramhall went on to release three solo albums and has also toured and recorded with the likes of Roger Waters and Eric Clapton. If you want to see Bramhall really tearing things up on a few other DVDs, check out both of the Eric Clapton Crossroads DVDs, and especially Roger Water's In The Flesh Live concert DVD. They would not have been nearly as good without his performances. Live at the Great Wall of China was filmed on September 25th, 2004, and is Doyle Bramhall II's first starring role in a concert video. This time it was just him and his smoking rhythm section of Mike Elizondo on bass and JJ Johnson on drums. So does he have what it takes to carry the show himself? Well, yes and no. Bramhall's guitar playing is truly remarkable, and his singing is nearly as impressive. His distinctive style and sound are instantly recognizable, and he always adds something special to each of the collaborations he undertakes. Throughout this DVD, Eric Clapton speaks glowingly of Bramhall, and does not hesitate to lump him in the same league as himself and all of the other blues-rock greats. I can't say that I disagree with Clapton when it comes to Bramhall's natural talent, it's just that I have found his three solo albums to be very inconsistent and quite unremarkable. He could really use a good songwriter to work with, which is what made the Arc Angels album so superior to his own. His stage presence is not exactly electric either. He looks very unaffected and almost seems bored during this show. Live at the Great Wall of China features an eight-song, one-hour set from the Doyle Bramhall II power-trio. His performance was part of a large benefit concert that also featured Alicia Keys, Boyz II Men, Cyndi Lauper, Nellie McKay, and a host of Chinese artists. Bramhall played a selection of songs that touched upon each of his thee solo albums, but focused mostly on what is probably his best one, Jellycream. The DVD features short interview segments mixed in between each of the song performances, with no option to play the concert uninterrupted. Strike one! There was also no 5.1 surround audio track included, even though the measly one-page insert listed two 5.1 surround engineers. The only audio option that is provided is a less than stellar sounding Dolby Digital 2.0 track, where nothing was even mixed to the rear surround speakers. The audio level of the interview segments is also annoyingly louder than the song performances. Big strike two! Not a very good start to such an anticipated DVD. Fortunately strike three never came, but Bramhall never really hit the thing out of the park either - although the stage was certainly set for him to do so. The stage design for this concert was one of the most visually impressive that I have ever seen. The stage backdrop was the Great Wall itself, along with an enormous and breathtaking Chinese temple centered just behind it. Two monstrous Chinese dragons decorate the back of the stage, and dozens of large statues line each side. Giant video screens adorn each of the two castle towers that flank both sides of the stage, and provide an excellent view for the thousands in attendance. The stage lighting was quite remarkable, and it perfectly highlighted the overall splendor of this incredible site. The performance was also filmed for HD TV broadcast, and the widescreen picture looked stunningly sharp and vivid. The camera crew and director also did an award-worthy job filming this show. Their timing was flawless, and the picture flowed smoothly, and slowly (thank you), between some brilliant camera angles that captured all of the essential guitar-fanatic close-ups, as well as the overall majesty of the venue. As for the performance highlights, I thought that the opening track "I Wanna Be", which also kicks off the Jellycream album, and the Welcome standout, "Smokestack", went over particularly well this night. "Smokestack" features one of Bramhall's most impressive guitar solos, where he channels some serious Jimi Hendrix throughout, but also adds plenty his own unique touch. The very dark and heavy "Flesh" was also a standout, but I am still unable to ascertain where this song came from. The DVD includes some great special features including interviews with Eric Clapton, Bramhall, and his bass player, Mike Elizondo. You also get to see Bramhall performing "TerraPlane Blues" and "Milk Cow Calf Blues" with Clapton, "Pride and Joy" with Sheryl Crow, and "Comfortably Numb" with Roger Waters. Bramhall certainly showed why he has guys like Eric Clapton and Roger Waters routinely singing his praises. He is a remarkable guitarist and singer. This is just not one of those great career defining performances that will win him over many new fans. For now, I'd rather watch him jamming with Slowhand on the two Crossroads DVDs, or better yet, on a new Arc Angels DVD. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - May 2008 |
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Running Time: 58 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - April 2008 |