Jeff Healey HEAL MY SOUL

Audio Mixers: Paul Kehayas; Neil McDonald.
Liner Note Authors: Cristie Healey; Jeff Healey.
Photographers: Taras Kovaliv; Joe Rockman; Pat Rush.
Released on what would've been Jeff Healey's 50th birthday, Heal My Soul is the first collection of unheard original Healey material released in 15 years. These recordings were left incomplete at the time of Healey's death, so it was up to his estate to complete the tapes, and the efforts are relatively seamless: it all sounds like it dates from somewhere in the early 2000s, a period arriving after his hits but before he started exploring hot jazz. In other words, it's guitar-heavy blues-rock, where the songs are sometimes nicely constructed ("Baby Blue," "I Misunderstood") but sometimes feel like vehicles for tasty licks. Because Healey isn't around to spin out more of these tasty licks, there's value to this -- his solos and riffs are vibrant, elastic, and alive -- but the record is best understood as a testament to his talent assembled by family for his fans to cherish. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop