****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
As a kid and younger man, I always had a major gripe with the Who: namely Roger Daltry, who I found one of the most annoying singers of all time. Heck, he wasn't even the SECOND best singer in the Who.On the other hand, I've loved Wilko Johnson from the moment I laid ears on him.Therefore, I was a little hesitant to pick this up, especially as this is almost exclusively Wilko / Feelgood covers. I already have these songs in great versions. But I listened to a couple of tracks online and, well, here I am.Either I've mellowed on him, Daltry has gotten a lot better, or some combination, but he does a great service to these songs. Part of it is the naturally aging of his voice. It is tougher and yet more expressive here than in the old days, and is very well suited to the greatest-bar-band-around vibe here.Of course, Wilko Johnson has a lifetime of being in greatest-bar-bands-around, so he is right at home. So is the rest of the group here backing up these two old pros.And while it is true that I, and maybe you, already have great versions of these songs, and that as a result there is something essentially nonessential about this record, who cares? You don't have THESE versions and they are pretty great, too, and part of that greatness is the relaxed feel here.These are old guys who have been around pretty much every block there is to go around and they swing here with confidence and comfortable swagger. Johnson may still stutter-stammer his way around the stage and, for all I know, Daltry may still swing the mic around in big circles, but all youthful bluster, bravado and general frantic is gone. Now, those things fueled some damn great music in their day, that day is past for these guys. Nothing to prove, they do what they do, and love doing, with skill and passion. I'm happy to get out of their way, sit back, and have a wonderful time listening to them be who they are now.
